Wales v New ZealandPaul Rees talks to Wales' passionate captain Gareth Thomas ahead of their clash against the All Blacks in the Millennium Stadium tomorrow

Most players would regard leading the Lions in a Test match as the crowning moment of their career, but for Gareth Thomas the summit will be reached tomorrow when he pulls on the Wales jersey, for the 84th time, to captain the side against New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium.

Thomas captained the Lions in the final two Tests against the All Blacks last summer, following Brian O'Driscoll's shoulder injury in the first minute of the series. But his Welshness floods through his pores, and in the 11th year of his Test career every cap means as much as his first did at the 1995 World Cup.

"It is great to be back in camp with Wales this week," said the 31-year old, who is in his second season with Toulouse.

"To be playing again for my country, never mind captaining it, is what it is all about. It was a huge honour to be chosen by the Lions and to lead the side, but the greatest of all is to represent your country and win.

"I enjoyed the experience with the Lions, but it was difficult for four countries to come together quickly against a New Zealand team which was probably the best in the world.

"I think the All Blacks will find it harder on their tour of Britain and Ireland this month than they did in the summer because they will be facing four countries whose squads have been developed over time."

When the Wales coach Mike Ruddock named Thomas as captain a year ago, he provoked surprise. Despite Thomas's profusion of caps he had spent long spells in the wilderness, chiefly when Graham Henry, who is now in charge of the All Blacks, coached Wales between 1998 and 2002.

Henry saw Thomas's passion and almost childlike enthusiasm as a sign of immaturity. Henry's successor Steve Hansen, now part of Henry's coaching team, appreciated Thomas's energy and made the player, who started his career as a centre before moving to fullback via the wing, an integral member of his side.

When Ruddock took over 18 months ago, he saw Thomas as a catalyst as he looked to make a bold statement of intent.

"Gareth has an incredible influence on the team," said Ruddock. "He has great courage and honesty. He has a perpetual excitement about playing for Wales and he makes everyone realise how special it is to represent your country.

"He has won loads of caps, but he wants to play for Wales as much as ever and that enthusiasm rubs off on the rest. I thought he did an excellent job for the Lions and to some degree his achievements on that tour were even greater than they had been for Wales last season. We had been winning but the Lions were on the floor after the first Test and he picked them up through the sheer force of his personality."

Ruddock is expected to hand the captaincy to Michael Owen for next Friday's meeting with Fiji, as Toulouse are insisting that Thomas is back on club duty. The day before the Fiji match Thomas will face magistrates in Pau to discover if he and his former Bridgend club-mates Phil Booth and Richard Webster have been found guilty of affray following a bar brawl after a European loss three years ago.

Thomas will need to exploit all his powers of motivation if Wales are to end 52 years of failure against the All Blacks. It is the centenary of the first meeting between the sides, when Wales won 3-0 in Cardiff.

"History is very important and we want to repeat the feat of the 1905 side, but the time to respect and remember great players of the past is after the match. When you cross the whitewash, you only think about the present. No one is giving us much of a chance because we are missing six Lions, but I know how good our team is. We recognise New Zealand for the great side they are, but we do not fear them. We are the grand slam champions and we are playing in front of our amazing supporters who are always worth a few points to us," said Thomas.

With the All Blacks the Tri-Nations champions, is this an unofficial world championship? "If we beat New Zealand, South Africa and Australia this month, perhaps we could say we were the best in the world, but I do not think the question is relevant.

"I never pull on the Wales jersey thinking we are going to lose and I do not think the gulf between British and New Zealand rugby is as big as it appeared to be during the summer. We will be better prepared than the Lions were and I believe we can win."