Gareth Thomas paid tribute to the late Eddie Butler, saying the two Wales captains had overcome past differences to become friends.
The pair were memorably involved in a heated exchange on BBC Wales’ Scrum V programme, just five days after Mike Ruddock departed as Wales coach amid rumours of player power within the Welsh camp. But now Thomas has told how their mutual passion for the game had brought about a rapprochement.
Butler, of course, sadly passed away aged just 65 on September 15.
Read more: Eddie Butler's many acts of kindness emerge after sudden death
Back from a trip to New York, Thomas posted on Twitter: “Returning home to hear the news bout [sic] Eddie. We had our differences, but we got over them. Our last conversation was how different we were. He went to Cambridge, I never went to school, he spoke many languages, I struggled to speak. But we shared so much more, thanks to rugby.”
The player known as 'Alfie' added: "[...] Both of ours love for the game helped us overcome past differences, and become friends".
Their showdown in 2006 became the stuff of Welsh rugby legend. In one corner was Butler, a product of Monmouth College who had progressed to Cambridge University; in the other was Thomas, of Brynteg Comprehensive School and the university of life.
Two worlds collided, with Thomas — clad in a brown leather jacket and sporting a Motorhead T-shirt — becoming increasingly animated as the discussion unfolded as he demanded Butler reveal his sources for some of the assertions being made. Neither man backed down.
Jonathan Davies and presenter Gareth Lewis were also in the studio. Later, while watching the pre-recorded show at home, then Wales skipper Thomas had a mini-stroke caused by the rupture of an artery in his neck. He was to be out of the game for six months; happily, he made a full recovery.
There were ramifications for Butler, too. He told WalesOnline last year: “If you ask me now whether there was this thing of player power, I think there was. I think the BBC management was susceptible to that pressure.
"It certainly was when it came to me because Nigel Walker [then head of sport] gave me the sack after that programme. For whatever reason, he said: ‘You’re not presenting Scrum V anymore.’ I said: ‘I wasn’t presenting it on that day.’
“Gareth Lewis was presenting because there had been a lot of pressure from within the Welsh camp that Graham Thomas should not be used as the presenter. Anyway, Nigel said I was no longer required to present programmes, but would I be happy to carry on being an occasional pundit? I said: ‘Nigel, you can shove it up your a*se’.
“It was made clear it was because of how the show with Alfie had gone, but I don’t know what I am supposed to .have done wrong.
“It was probably the most-viewed rugby moment that has gone out on BBC Wales and it cost me my job. It’s great isn’t it? Luckily, BBC network were far more forgiving. They didn’t see anything wrong with it and I carried on working there. But there was pressure exerted on BBC Wales and BBC Wales folded.” You can read more about the exchange here.
Despite the fall-out, it seems the pair did reconcile, which says much for both.
Butler went on to scale the broadcasting peaks, Thomas went on to play a dozen more times for Wales and later earned much respect for coming out as gay at a time when no other professional rugby player had done so.
The former postman has built a successful post-playing career as a pundit and TV personality and earlier this month he gave a TED talk on challenging HIV stigma after revealing in 2019 he is living with the virus.
Thomas is being sued by his ex-partner Ian Baum for £150,000 in damages amid claims the rugby household name hid his HIV status from his then-partner and failed to take reasonable care to ensure he did not pass it on. The former Welsh rugby star said in his defence that his HIV status wasn't initially brought up during their "volatile" relationship and he was never asked. Read our report on the defence case here.
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