Do or die as Dragons take on Munster
Thomas, a member of the Wales U21 Grand Slam winning team of three years ago, has promised Munster that they face the mother of all battles.
"We know this match is the key to our survival in the group. We have lost the first two, are away to both Munster and Sale, and putting it simply, we cannot afford another defeat.
"As it is, we face a massive task if we are to make it to the knockout stages so defeat is not an option."
Boosted by a 33-10 Powergen Cup win over Worcester last week, Thomas hopes Munster are suffering from the Celtic League defeat against Ulster at Musgrave Park.
"I would hope that there will be a hangover from that, but you never know with Munster. They are a very competitive side as proven by their record in Europe."
Thomas believes the key to victory is Newport's ability to take on the Munster pack.
"It is a huge challenge for us, but it is also a marvellous opportunity to prove ourselves against one of the best forward units in Europe."
He is not overawed. "For me, it's a learning process and we have gone back to basics as a forward unit, working on scrummaging and line-out play incessantly. We cannot afford to take a backwards step against Munster; we're going to have to attack them and, I think, maybe their front row is not as formidable as it used to be.
"We're up for this game and we're for a full frontal assault."
But Thomas, on the fringes of the senior Welsh squad, is neither naive nor arrogant enough to suggest he will get the better of Marcus Horan.
"Having studied the videos of recent games, I think Horan is a pretty complete player; he is not the biggest prop around but he does have a very good technique and is superb around the pitch. I look forward to the challenge of coming to grips with an international standard player.
"Some have suggested that Munster's Achilles heel is in the scrum but I find that hard to believe. It is an area that we will look to attack them in, but I would not be totally sure if it's an area we can totally dominate.
"It is a huge test for me personally. I was in the frame for a call-up to the Welsh squad but didn't make it. Results went against us and that didn't help. But I would like to think that the Heineken Cup could eventually be the springboard to better things", he said.
Newport performed well in Castres, getting a bonus point in the 29-24 defeat, but were heavily beaten by Sale at home in the second match.
These next two games back to back fixtures against Munster will be crucial, and Thomas admitted: "We are on the rack, but there is a huge amount of pride within the team. We have struggled at times this season but we have had some good days also. If we can get it right I am confident we can push Munster all the way.
"Realistically we have got to win all four remaining games. It is a big ask, but it would be a huge boost to beat Munster and perfect preparation for the next game in Limerick.
"I honestly don't believe there is a huge gap between any of the teams in this group. We were down and out against Castres but finished the game strongly. It was a match we might have won.
"Sale were much better than us on the day, but we also made a lot of mistakes and gifted them some easy scores. If we get it right, I'm convinced we can beat Munster, but we do have to get it right."
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