“The pressure was on. We knew it would be written off as a complete failure if we lost and that spurred us on to play the way we know we can play. We needed some confidence to take into the Six Nations. This was our last chance. I felt we had gone backwards before this game but it showed what we are capable of. We came on in leaps and bounds.”
Thomas turned in a towering performance on the field but his role in the week’s preparation, in convincing his men they could get the better of Australia, was just as crucial. “We threw everything at them and got no rewards but it showed the mettle of the guys that we stuck together,” he said. “We played the majority of the rugby in the first half and didn’t have much to show for it.
“It was so special because of the two weeks we had had before, against new Zealand and South Africa,” added Thomas. “We hadn’t beaten Australia for such a long time and it was extra special to go and get a scalp of the big three. The hidings we had taken over the last 10 years didn’t matter. We had the belief.”
Thomas then turned his thoughts to the up coming Six Nations. “We realise we can’t come into the Six Nations like we came into the autumn. We can’t afford to come in rusty.
“Going into the Six Nations is another challenge and we have to with the favourites tag. But we are champions, deservedly so and we have to go out and play as favourites.”
