Thomas excited by England talent pool

Part and parcel of England’s coaching team during their victorious Under-20s World Championship success in South Africa this summer, Thomas believes there is now a glut of performers destined to make their mark on the big stage.

In what a dominant tournament from start to finish from Mark Mapletoft’s side, England denied France a fourth championship in a row as they themselves completed a Six Nations and World Championship double with a 21-13 victory in Cape Town.

Tries from Joe Bailey and Arthur Green, coupled with the boot of Sean Kerr, proved enough for England to claim the crown for the first time since 2016.

For Thomas – and his fellow coaches – it was a fitting finale to a season in which England’s youngsters came alive and underlined their burgeoning talent to the masses.

“It’s been a fantastic year working with them,” said Thomas, England’s defence coach. “It obviously started with the Six Nations, then we had a tour of Georgia for ten days, before going to the World Cup, which was the icing on the cake.

“To go through the whole tournament and win every game, it was an incredible journey and massively enjoyable for all of us. We were out there for 30 days, not much time off, but at no point did you feel like a drag.

“It was brutal at times, especially with the five-day turnarounds, but as a group we came together and targeted that end goal.”

Led by Leicester’s talisman captain Finn Carnduff, England showed a dominance in all aspects of the game, setting a foundation from which they were able to build onwards and upwards.

“The future is really exciting,” said Thomas, who is also part of the coaching staff at Exeter Chiefs. “As a group, these are young men, they’re the best in the country and they’re representing England.

“From this squad alone, we had four of them that we’re under-18. The likes of Junior Kopku, Angus Hall, Lucas Friday and Jack Bracken are just starting out, but as a group all of them are driven kids with great aspirations to go as far as they can within the game.”  

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Indeed, that will be the next challenge for many of this England squad, who will soon be returning back to their clubs for pre-season and the chance to take their summer form further.

“There are a few who have had a taste of being in and around the Premiership, but I think now it will be for a lot more of the squad to use this success as the chance to push on,” added Thomas. “Over the years we’ve seen numerous players who have featured well in this tournament go on to grace not just the Premiership, but feature on the international scene as well.

“That has to be the goal for a lot of these boys. The pathway has been created over time and it’s one that clearly works. It’s up to the players now to go out and grab that opportunity.”

And one man who has certainly seized his opportunity in recent times, albeit not through the Under-20s set-up, is current England flyer, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

The winger is someone Thomas knows well from his own close links with the Chiefs and, before that, the University of Exeter.

Feyi-Waboso, though, has taken the rugby world by storm and is seen as a beacon of what can be achieved by youngsters whose dream is to reach the top echelons of the game,

“Manny’s obviously a super talent for a young guy – and he’s had an incredible year,” said Thomas. “Last year he was on loan at Taunton, but then he comes in, has a full Premiership season and ends up playing for England.

“It’s the same with people like Ross Vintcent, he was one minute playing BUCS Rugby, the next he’s featuring in the Premiership, Europe, then for Italy.

“For these guys – and a lot more at clubs – the pathway is there for a lot of them to play regular rugby, get quality coaching and create opportunities for themselves.”

Equally, Thomas himself is thriving in his own development through the England coaching set-up, working alongside head coach Mark Mapletoft and Andy Titterrell.

“I’m super grateful to Tofty for giving me the opportunity,” added Thomas. “It’s been an extraordinary year, one in which I’ve been able to work with so many different coaches and players. Having that opportunity to learn new ideas, look into different thought processes, different philosophies around the game, it’s been really rewarding and helped move my own coaching knowledge on massively.

“I’d love to carry on with them, but I need to get back into pre-season with the Chiefs, crack on with my work here.”

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