One of three British Lions currently with the Cardiff Blues, (although hopefully more will follow come the summer) Tom is undoubtedly one the regions most successful and recognised stars, at the start of the season he'd already managed 54 Wales caps.

Despite being born in Harrow, Tom gained Welsh residency through his father, Jim Shanklin, who himself had 4 Wales caps, and from as early as he can remember, he always considered himself Welsh.

He was one of the first signings ever made by the Cardiff Blues, following the birth of regionalism, when he signed from Saracens in 2003. Since then, he has gone on to establish himself as one of Cardiff and Wales' fan favourites as well as being one of the most consistent players in the country. For Cardiff, his 67 appearances have seen a return of 23 tries, while his Welsh contributions have seen him win 2 Grand Slam, in 2005 and 2008.

Despite being primarily an outside centre for Wales, he has been used at both 12 and 13 for the Blues. Next season will see Shanks battle for a jersey with the highly rated Daf Hewitt, testimonial celebrating Jamie Robinson, Wales record cap holder Gareth Thomas, and intriguingly, Jamie Roberts. Roberts and Shanklin started as the 12-13 combo for the second test, and proved a massive success, so a future Wales pairing could be in th making. One thing's for sure however, he has the best competition for a starting birth at the Arms Park since his arrival.

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