Edited sentence: However, he has taken significant strides forward in recent years to the point where, captaining a weakened Welsh side in their autumn international programme in 2005 (which culminated in their first victory over Australia since 1987), he looked, at 31 and with his combination of courageous, watertight defence, powerful running and deceptively skilled handling, to be an outside back of true world class.Thomas has always been a fine player, but he was somewhat overshadowed in his early years in the Welsh side by such figures as Robert Howley, Neil Jenkins and Scott Quinnell