Thomson has been one of the star performers for the Highlanders in their difficult start to the season, and was a stand-out in Saturday's 12-15 loss to the Waratahs after entering the game when Hayden Triggs left injured after just 10min.
It has been a decent wait for the mophaired flanker, who turns 26 next week and has his first Super 14 contract after two good seasons with Otago and a spell with the New Zealand Sevens team.
‘‘It's good to be playing at this level. I've been waiting a long time and to come out and put the Highlanders jersey on each week is a dream come true, really,'' Thomson said.
It must be a hollow feeling for the Highlanders, who have played some good rugby but are still seeking their first win, but Thomson is confident it is not far off.
‘‘We're not happy with a bonus point. There's a lot of self-belief in this team even though we're young and been written off.
‘‘We've got strikepower and we can create opportunities. Now we just need to turn them into more points.
Thomson scored the Highlanders' opening try of the season and got another on Saturday night when, quite possibly from an offside position, he chased a Niva Ta'auso kick, toed ahead and showed his pace to score.
‘‘Once I saw the ball on the ground, I thought there was a chance. I've got a little bit of speed up my sleeve so I knew I just had to toe it ahead and keep my composure and slide in there.''
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie felt his side played reasonably well in the difficult conditions.
‘‘I thought we tried to play more football in the conditions, and when you try to play more football, you make more mistakes,'' McKenzie said.
‘‘We wanted to move the Highlanders pack around a bit, and I thought they tried to close up shop in the second half.''
Captain Phil Waugh was always confident his side was going to close out the game but did not feel the Waratahs played particularly well.
‘‘We pushed the pass too much and turned ball over,'' Waugh said. ‘‘In the first half, we passed the ball around a bit, but in the second half, it rained harder and it was difficult to pass the ball. It was hard in those conditions to open the game up.''
