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Raise Your Game: How did it feel to be captain of Wales?

Gareth Thomas: It's the best. Every child in Wales grows up and wants to be a rugby player. To have the chance to play for Wales and to captain Wales is a dream every child has and it's something that I'm lucky enough to have fulfilled.

RYG: What makes a good captain?

GT: Someone who doesn't think he's any better than the players. Someone who is very level-headed as well. Someone who enjoys rugby and wants to be there. Someone who can lead his team out, but doesn't ask of players something that he doesn't think his team can do.

RYG: What was it like when you heard the news for the first time?

GT: It was quite strange - I didn't expect it. But it was something that I was excited about and looking forward to and I knew that all the players were supporting me, and my family supported me doing it, so like I say it's what I always dreamed of, but it's quite surreal when you actually are going to be captain for your country.

RYG: What about when you're actually out on the pitch?

GT: To lead the team out is superb, to run out onto the field and see a full Millennium Stadium, as passionate as the Welsh people can be, when they start getting behind you it's enough to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. To play is a dream, but to lead the team out is extra special.

RYG: How do you cope with the pressure?

GT: Rugby is the national sport in Wales and if we win on a Saturday then the whole nation feels a lot better on the Sunday. The pressure is on us to make the nation feel good really. But it's what we get paid for, it's what professionalism is about. You take on that kind of pressure when you decide to play for your country.

RYG: What's it like playing out in France?

GT: It's great because I played so long in Wales in a regional or club system that I felt, basically, that I was in a comfort zone. For me to go out there it's a different challenge for me, and my family, and makes me a better player, not only on the field but off the field, which is important to me in my time of life.

RYG: How are you getting on with the French language?

GT: I struggled at first but I've been having lessons and when you're submerged in a language and people speaking it 24 hours a day to you, even if you don't want to learn it, you're going to learn it. It gets easier day by day. I'm far from fluent, but when I'm over there and speaking French and people are speaking French to me, it's not a problem.

RYG: What are the best lessons you've learnt from rugby?

GT: The most important lesson I've learnt is to keep my feet on the ground and always take time to speak to a supporter, to sign autographs or be the same person as they are. People hold you in such high esteem, they are the people at the end of the day who support you and pay your wages, and it's nice to speak to them. I think the crowd sometimes feel that they can't speak to a player or understand what they're all about.

RYG: And the highlights?

GT: Obviously, being captain of Wales, I think the New Zealand game in 2005 was a highlight. The crowd and the atmosphere that day were something that myself and the rest of the team will never forget.