Thomas, a veteran of seventy-two Tests for his country and described by National Coach, Steve Hansen, as ‘one of our best’, slots in at fullback at the Millennium Stadium after starring in the No.15 jersey in the Rugby World Cup. He’s looking forward to the challenge.
“It was great to get back into camp with the boys,” the 29-year-old said. “We got close at the Rugby World Cup, but we can’t get our confidence from what we did there. We have to get it from a win over Scotland on Saturday.
“We are full of confidence, though, and we’re a tight group of players. I know that if things go wrong on Saturday, the other guys will be there to back me up.”
Thomas is looking forward to an entertaining match at the Stadium in the RBS Six Nations opener.
“If Scotland play anything like Edinburgh did in the Heineken Cup, it will be a great game,” he said. “They like to throw the ball around and it should be a good match.”
The veteran Celtic Warriors skipper admits having the exciting Shane Williams on the wing was a boost for the whole team.
“He’s a quality player and his play does rub off on us. He’s an amazing attacking player as we saw against New Zealand and England.”
Thomas becomes the third highest capped player in Wales history when he takes the field on Saturday, passing Ieuan Evans’s seventy-two Tests, and he has only Neil Jenkins (87) and Gareth Llewellyn (84 on Saturday) in front of him. Thomas’s thirty-two tries are one short of Evans’s all time Wales record of thirty-three.
Meanwhile, new Scotland Coach, Matt Williams, has named three uncapped players in his starting line up for Saturday. Edinburgh winger Tom Philip, Borders scrum-half Chris Cussiter and Edinburgh backrower Allister Hogg all get the chance to represent their country for the first time.
“The three of them deserve this chance,” said Williams. “They have done very well since the Rugby World Cup. A lot of players have retired since then and I have had to build a new side and I have confidence in these guys.”
