The Indigo Welsh Premiership finally returns on Thursday night, when Aberavon host the first game of the campaign at home to regional rivals Swansea. It’s been a much debated and much tweaked structure and even now the Welsh Rugby Union have revealed plans to increase the numbers from 12 clubs to 14. Whatever happens, Aled Thomas insists the league has a big role to play as he tells Tom Prosser. World Cup winner Aled Thomas has demanded more respect for Welsh Premiership rugby and insists the league plays a crucial role in developing the stars of the future. Thomas took Wales to the global summit in 2009 when he scored a dramatic late winning try in the Rugby Sevens World Cup final.