Q&A: Gareth Thomas looks ahead to the Rugby League World Cup 2013

 
NEATH, WALES - OCTOBER 17: Wales player Gareth Thomas looks on during the Rugby League Alitalia European Cup match between Wales and Ireland at the Gnoll on October 17, 2010 in Neath, Wales.
Stu Forster/Getty Images
18 October 2013

The 39 year-old star on whether he prefers Union to League and the latest news on that Hollywood film which has the backing of Mickey Rourke

How do you think the Rugby League World Cup will be received in Wales? Are you excited/nervous about the reaction?

I’m slightly nervous because rugby league isn’t the No1 sport in Wales but people will come out to support. Wales has a fine sporting and supporting history and I expect the usual great atmosphere on the opening day of matches at the Millennium Stadium for the Rugby League World Cup. People tend to be consumed by sport when the big events come up. It was the same with the Olympics and I’m hopeful Wales will be consumed by it again particularly as the eyes of the sporting world will be watching Wales for one day.

How do you think Wales will fare in the tournament?

Because we have a team of relative unknowns, there’s no great pressure. Okay, we’re playing in our own backyard, so there’s that element of pressure. I expect Wales to get out of their group and, after that, the World Cup is just about one-off games, with 80 minutes to take it or leave it.

Do you see Australia as the team to come away with victory?

You’d have to say they’re favourites again and that’s no surprise as the National Rugby League is just phenomenal, just an unbelievable competition. But New Zealand have shown they’re capable of beating them. I’d also expect England to be there or thereabouts. It’s down to those three really and England have the possibility to win it — they have a very good and experienced team. Should they win, it would be absolutely huge for the game in the whole of the UK.

Having played both codes, do you have a preference? Surely with your background it’s union first?

A lot of people assume that I’ve made a decision that one is better than the other. But that’s not possible because there’s no comparison — the only thing that’s the same is the shape of the ball. The sports are almost different cultures so saying I prefer one to the other is wrong. Rugby union is guided by a lot of rules, league by the players.

How hard was it making the transition from union to league?

The fact I lasted seven seconds on my debut before being knocked out I think answers that one! It’s extremely different — the fitness requirements are so different and it’s sort of the case that everything you’ve ever learned in union you just have to forget and have to learn to play things all over again.

Looking at union, how do you expect Wales to fare in the autumn internationals and the Six Nations?

I think after the Six Nations and the Lions, the players are at a peak of confidence. It makes us a very difficult team to come up against. I don’t think for a minute there will be any complacency. There was that dip and even now I think the players struggle to understand why that happened. Maybe they just got carried away in the excitement, who knows? I don’t expect that to happen again.

You revealed you were gay towards the end of your career, which sparked talk about a film being made of your life. Is that still a goer?

Yeah, it’s still happening but Hollywood’s a manic world and things don’t always happen at the time it’s first planned. It was scheduled to start filming in January but that got put back. I think we all live in a different world to Hollywood but it’ll still happen.

Is Mickey Rourke still involved in the project?

Yeah, he’s still involved in a big way — he’s very passionate about the story.

Can you get your head around a film being made of your life?

It’s crazy, it’s bonkers. Imagine if someone rang you up and said ‘we’re going to make a film about your life’. How would you react? I thought to start with it was just one of the boys taking the piss. It’s really surreal but humbling. It’s a scary to think I might inspire people to make a film, and hopefully it’ll inspire other people by watching it. That’s very humbling but doesn’t change who I am.

Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, is the official charity partner for Rugby League World Cup 2013. To buy tickets and donate quote

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