South African hooker Jason Thomas has signed for Jersey RFC, in
what Head Coach Harvey Biljon says is his final piece of pre-season
squad-building.
The former player with the Blue Bulls team in his home country,
Thomas (pictured below) was a member of the 'Baby Boks'
squad who won the IRB Under 20 World Cup in 2012. The new signing,
now 22, played against his new Jersey team-mate Tommy Bell when
South Africa defeated England en route to victory in the final over
New Zealand.
"Jason is hungry to get involved and recognises he has a great
opportunity in Jersey," said Biljon. "We are short-handed at
hooker, with Dave Felton having recently had an operation and
facing several months on the sidelines, and Jason will provide
valuable depth to the squad. I expect him to be competing hard for
game time along with [other new signings] Martin Garcia Veiga and
Gareth Harris."
The signing of Thomas has been made possible through an enhanced
sponsorship deal agreed between JRFC and Jersey resident, Jason
Cowleard.
"Jason Cowleard is also from South Africa - he's a keen
supporter of the club and was keen to establish links with one of
our new signings and to watch him develop throughout his career at
JRFC," said Club Chairman Bill Dempsey. "Jason Cowleard's
generosity has been a key factor in providing the funding for this
exciting signing, and we're very grateful for his support."
The Jersey players are currently taking a few days' rest after
the first two months of pre-season training. The squad will resume
their training schedule next week, in the final phase of their
build-up to the Championship season, which starts on September 6th.
Ahead of this date, Jersey play three pre-season matches at St
Peter:
* August 16th: Jersey v Ayr (4pm)
* August 23rd: Jersey v Bath (3pm)
* August 30th: Jersey v Blackheath (4pm)
Tickets for the Ayr and Bath games are now available, priced £5
(Ayr) and £15 (Bath) for all spectators (including members). The
Blackheath game will be part of a family day at the club, which
also includes a game between Jersey Athletic and Blackheath
Heathens at 12noon - admission on this date will be free.
Jersey's first league match at St Peter will be when Doncaster
Knights visit the Island on Saturday September 13th.
