Wales will cope without Thomas

WELSH legend Phil Bennett insisted Mike Ruddock’s side can cope with the loss of captain Gareth Thomas as they chase a first Grand Slam in 27 years.

Thomas may have broken a thumb in France and could miss the rest of the tournament.

“It’s a huge setback. He’s a great captain, he leads from the front and the boys love him,” said Bennett.

“But such is the spirit in the camp, they’ll put Kevin Morgan at 15, Rhys Williams at wing and just carry on.”

Bennett, an inspirational fly-half for in the 1970s, insisted the national team were entering a new golden period.

“Two years ago we didn’t win a game

The way this young team are blending, the glory days are on their way back.

“We couldn’t get possession early on and France dominated and scored two tries. Had they been ruthless, Wales could have gone into the interval 30 points down. The All Blacks would have buried us in the first half. But the character we showed in the second half was quite outstanding.”