Ben Thomas admits it’s a dream come true as he prepares to make his first senior start for Cardiff Blues in Saturday’s European Challenge Cup clash against Pau.
The life-long Cardiff Blues fan, who came through his home region’s academy alongside his studies at Cardiff and Vale College, has been rewarded for his fine form in Cardiff RFC colours with a run of appearances this season.
Having signed his first professional deal earlier this season, and appearing off the bench against Calvisano and Benetton, Thomas will link up with centurion Rey Lee-Lo in John Mulvihill’s midfield on Saturday.
The playmaker, who can play at outside half or inside centre, is relishing the opportunity to make a mark, and hopes his versatility will benefit the team.
“I want to take every week as it comes. The most I can do is put in a good performance when I get the chance and help the team get a win.
“Hopefully that will put me in good stead for the rest of the season.
“I’m massively excited. It’s always been a dream of mine and I can remember, when I was younger, coming to watch Cardiff Blues games with my mother.
“I was sitting there, and thinking to myself, ‘wow, imagine running out there in front of a full crowd’.
“The thought of doing that this weekend really excites me.
“Having Jarrod and Rey alongside me is massive. For a youngster, it’s important to have that communication both inside and outside you.
“To play with someone like Rey is going to be really important for me.
“I’m enjoying playing 12 at the moment, but it’s nice to have the flexibility to play at outside half as well, especially with the way the game is heading at the moment.
“It’s important to have a 12 that can play at 10 and help out with decisions and use that duel-playmaker role.
“It probably started with George Ford and Owen Farrell bringing that 10-12 axis. You’ve also got the likes of Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua, who can help out as playmakers.
“If I can pick out bits of their games, put it together and create my own little niché then it will be good for me.”
Rugby World Cup top try scorer, Josh Adams, will make his long-awaited debut for Cardiff Blues on Saturday, with scrum half Tomos Williams also set for his first regional appearance of the season.
Thomas hopes his side can take momentum from last week’s dramatic victory over Benetton, as they look to strengthen their claim for a European quarter final spot.
The youngster added: “This weekend is massive for us. We had a good win against Benetton last week, and we’ll be looking to use that momentum from last week, especially with some of the international boys being brought back into the mix.
“This week is going to be huge for us.
“They’re a typical French team. They will be big, strong and physical up-front.
“But hopefully we’ll be able to move them around a bit and make use of our exciting back three players to get the tries in.
“It was a tough loss for us at home against Leicester, and it was a game that we should’ve won, but it slipped away from us in the last minute.
“But we’ve got the perfect chance to put it right this weekend. Hopefully we can right our wrongs.
“The likes of Josh Adams and Tomos, their first game of the season for us will be this weekend. It’s good to have them in the mix for us.
“Hopefully they can bring their form back from the World Cup and inject it into some our boys.
“We should be helped by those boys out wide. We need to get the ball out wide to them and their magic will do the rest for us.”
Head down to Cardiff Arms Park as Rugby World Cup top try scorer, Josh Adams makes his debut for Wales' Capital Region in the crucial Challenge Cup clash against Pau. Tickets available NOW!