The euphoria of lifting Wales' Grand Slam trophy for the second time was a close runner up to the event that shaped flanker Jonathan Thomas' rugby career - the day he won his first cap.

Jonathan, who started his rugby career at Pembroke RFC, admits the elation of Wales' victory over France came pretty close to his international debut against Australia in 2003.

"Winning my first cap was definitely a highpoint for me, it was the day I realised my dreams,'' Jonathan told the Western Telegraph. Since then he has gone on to win a further 43 caps.

Reflecting on Wales' Grand Slam triumph, he admits the squad was confident going into the game against France.

"We had won our four previous games and there was a lot of confidence within the squad,'' he said.

"When you are on a roll like that you feel fairly indestructible and there was no way that we were going to lose that game.'' For Jonathan, the highpoint of the game was the moment Shane Williams scored the try that put Wales ahead of France. "At that point I think we were tying 9-9 but at that moment we broke away from France and we knew we could win,'' he said.

And then there was the French scrum on the Welsh line when Wales was 10 points ahead. "It was a good attacking area for France but we managed to push them off and win the ball back. That was another turning point,'' said Jonathan.

The match captured the heart of the nation and it was this remarkable support that played a vital role in pushing the squad to victory. "The coach journey into Cardiff was just incredible, the city was a sea of red jerseys,'' Jonathan recalled. "And walking into the stadium and hearing the Welsh national anthem put everyone on a high.'' Among the crowd were his number one fans, his mother, Elizabeth, his sister, Nicki Mathias, and his two young nephews, Travis and Corey. "I'm not sure if the boys quite knew what was going on, but they certainly enjoyed the day,'' said Jonathan.

He has been a consistent member of the Welsh squad since he was 20 but he still has to pinch himself to make sure it is not all a dream, as playing for Wales was something he dreamed of when he was growing up in Pembrokeshire. "I always wanted to play for Wales, it is what every young rugby player dreams of,'' he said.

Jonathan is passionate about sport in general and his love of playing rugby shows in his game. He reckons a love of the game is a key to being good at it. "I have a love of what I do and if you enjoy what you do you are probably going to be successful at it,'' he said. "There is a lot of hard work that comes into it too but I have always tried to do my best.

"I don't think there is any magic secret to winning a cap for Wales. If you enjoy it and have a little bit of talent then you are halfway there.''