Alfie "Move On"

By Paul French
May 3 2005

Captain fantastic Gareth Thomas believes it is time for Wales to draw a line in the sand and move on, following yesterdays grand slam celebrations at the Millennium stadium.

"In any sport in the world, once you achieve something, once you win something, people always think that's it and the hard work is done," said the full-back speaking to the Western Mail.

"But, as far as I'm concerned, that's when it begins. Everyone is going to want to beat us now.

"We are the champions and everyone's going to want to have a piece of us.

Thomas believes that Wales will be in a similar position to how England were under Woodward.

"We are the new England, if you want to put it that way. Teams are going to raise their game to come and play us.

"We've got to knuckle down, work harder and train harder if we want to compete with these teams again."

"Teams raise themselves ten-fold to play England, that's what is going to happen to us and we've got to be on our mettle to it.

"We are so used to being an underdog and we got comfortable with that tag.

"It's easy to win as an underdog because you have so much praise for winning.

"It's easy to come close as an underdog as well, because you have done well in the eyes of people who didn't expect you to get close.

"And if you lose, it doesn't matter, because everyone thought you would lose anyway.

"Now we are expected to win, and that's mentally a lot tougher.

"It takes a great team to win the Grand Slam, but it takes an even greater team to defend it.

"The most important thing is that we don't rest on this. This team is capable of winning other things. We can't relax now."

Alfie made his full return from the thumb injury that ended his Six Nations campaign prematurely, by playing in Toulouse's Heineken cup dress rehearsal in Paris against Stade Francais.

"I played the full 80 which I was really pleased with," he said.

"I thought in my mind if I could get 60 minutes in I'd be glad, having played 20 minutes the week before. So it was just great to play the whole match.

"Saying that, it was the hottest game of rugby I've ever played in my life and I kind of blew a gasket in the first half.

"With it being so warm I should have tried to conserve a bit of energy.

"But, because I was so keen and enthusiastic - and maybe a bit stupid - I just gave everything I had in the first half.

"Luckily I didn't have much to do in the last 40 because I was struggling from match fitness but also the heat, which played a big part and made things difficult."