Dual nationality Cheeseman targets Wales cap

Apr 25 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

WELSH tour hopeful Tom Cheeseman has committed himself to the land of his birth rather than the land of his father – for the time being at least.

The in-form Bath centre is eligible for both Wales and England, as he was born and bred in Swansea but has an English father.

His dad Trevor – a former England B lock or back-row forward – played his club rugby for Swansea, making 287 appearances for the All Whites between 1975 and 1987.

Now it’s Cheeseman junior who is making his mark on the game, with the 22-year-old having scored a hat-trick of tries in Bath’s Guinness Premiership victory at Worcester last Saturday.

It was a performance that had Worcester coach Mike Ruddock – a former team-mate of Trevor – urging Wales boss Warren Gatland to consider the youngster for a place on the summer tour of South Africa.

Cheeseman, left, would jump at the chance to go on that trip and add to the Welsh international honours he has already won at U16, U18, U19 and U21 level.

“It would be great to get a call-up for the tour,” he said. “I am sure every youngster would be proud to get the chance.

“It’s my ambition to play at the highest level, especially so for Wales.

“So I would be thrilled to get the call. I am still eligible for both Wales and England. My father is an Englishman, so the option is there.

“But I’m pretty Welsh. You can tell that by my accent and by where I’m from. I also played for Wales in age-group rugby.

“So, for the time being, I am sticking with Wales.

“I haven’t had any contact from them yet, but hopefully they'll call at some point.

“Obviously if they don’t come knocking, I might have to look elsewhere.”

The versatile Cheeseman – who is equally comfortable at 12 and 13 and has also appeared on the wing in the past – doesn’t believe it’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind” with him playing his rugby over the border.

“You always ponder on the fact that people say that, but I reckon if someone is playing the best rugby they will get picked wherever they are playing,” he said. “It’s not a case of not getting picked because you are across the border.”

The fact that the former Olchfa Comprehensive pupil, whose mother is Welsh, finds himself at Bath is due largely to the influence of ex-Wallaby boss John Connolly.

“John was coaching Swansea when I was in the academy there,” he said. “He saw something in me that he liked and when he went to Bath he asked me if I would go over there when I finished school.

“The Ospreys were interested as well, but Bath offered me the chance to do sports studies at university, as something to fall back on if the rugby didn’t work out, so I went there.

“I did six months at Bath University, but then the rugby side took over and I’ve just delayed the course with an option to go back in the future.”

The powerful Cheeseman – whose Welsh age-grade contemporaries include Alun Wyn Jones, Chris Czekaj, Aled Brew and Andrew Bishop – has been likened to English World Cup-winner Mike Tindall, a former team-mate of his at Bath.

“Mike had a massive influence on me,” he said. “He was a huge idol and I benefited from him being around, there is no doubt about that.”

Tindall has now moved on to Gloucester, with fellow England international Olly Barkley set to make the same switch this summer, which could well mean increased opportunities for Cheeseman, who has signed a three-year contract extension to keep him at The Rec until 2011.

“I got off to a good start this season when the guys were away at the World Cup,” said the Wales prospect, who made his Bath debut back in December 2004.

“I like to think I filled the gap quite well and things went well for the first eight weeks, but then I got injured and I was out for two or three months.

“That was a disappointing time for me. Since then, it’s been a case of trying to fight my way back into the team.

“I was glad to get the opportunity against Worcester and obviously delighted to score three tries.

“I like to think I’ve put my hand up and asked a few questions.”

This Saturday, Cheeseman’s attentions turn to Bath’s European Challenge Cup semi-final against Sale, while the West Country club are also very much in the hunt for the Guinness Premiership title.

And who knows, the young centre could soon be vying for further honours on the international stage – hopefully with Wales.