Widely regarded as one of the best tight head props around, British & Irish Lions star Furlong left the field in last year’s game just as Thomas came on in the 53rd minute at the Aviva Stadium to make his championship debut. He is set to pack down in a Welsh front row this weekend alongside new skipper Ken Owens and Ospreys teammate Tomas Francis.
The Newcastle Emlyn bred loosehead prop is one of six Ospreys selected by returning coach Warren Gatland in the Wales pack for the visit of the number one ranked team in the world. The 29-year-old will win his 18th cap, while Furlong will be hoping to win his 64th after overcoming injury.
“He is one of the best tighthead props in the world and I’m looking forward to the challenge. Confidence comes from the whole scrum and it’s not just an individual thing,” said Thomas.
“It’s about the work the back five are doing, that’s what makes a front row a success. It’s about the whole eight working together and we are going to need that this weekend.
“We are really looking forward to going out there and going up against the number one team in the world. I prefer to play the best because I want to be the best. We will give them respect but we are there to do a job.”
Thomas is one of the players who has not worked with Gatland in the national set-up previously, but he has been excited by working with the New Zealander and his new coaching team.
“It’s fresh and I’ve really enjoyed it. The last week has been really good with a lot of detail to take in and a lot of direction – we all know what we want to do,” said Thomas.
“There has been so much to learn, and you cannot get left behind in terms of that on the pitch. We’ve been so focused on what we can do on the pitch last week and this.”
Thomas is one of a dozen Ospreys named in the Wales squad to face the Irish on the back of Heineken Champions Cup qualification for the knockout stages with wins over Montpellier and Leicester Tigers.
With all four regions having qualified for the sharp end of European rugby – the Scarlets, Cardiff and the Dragons have qualified for the European Challenge Cup – Thomas believes momentum is with Wales.
“It’s important to have some momentum and the regions have been playing well and to carry some momentum into this game and, hopefully, see us kick on throughout the whole campaign,” said Thomas.
“The last couple of months with the Ospreys have been really enjoyable and we’ve been having a lot of fun on the pitch. Duncan Jones has put in a lot of work with the scrums and Richard Kelly with the lineouts.
“We’ve just gelled as a pack and the rotation stuff in the front row has worked nicely for us.”
