A former student of Rainey Endowed, he plays his club rugby with Dungannon and this year was selected to be part of the Ireland Under-20 squad who won the Under-21 Six Nations with a Grand Slam, beating Italy in their final match in Benevento.

Thomas is the son of former Ireland captain Willie Anderson, who was caped 27 times Internationally before becoming a successful rugby coach.

www.ulsterrugby.com  sat down with Thomas to quiz him on The Academy, his International success and much more-

- Thomas when did you first take an interest in playing rugby?
Growing up my dad, Willie Anderson was very involved in rugby, I learnt a lot form him and would often tag along to events, my interest progressed from there.

- Coming from training in the Academy what has been the biggest adjustment for you now that you have a Development Contract with Ulster Rugby?
Professional rugby players are harder, stronger and faster, training with guys like that makes you realise that you’ve got a long way to go. You go from training at a level where you might be a leader or stand out in some way to coming in at the bottom of the pile when you train with professional sportsmen.

- What has been the highlight of your time with the Academy so far?
My first year out of school the Academy trained with the Under 21’s for a period of the summer, I was then picked up to compete with the Ireland U21’s and got the chance to compete at Kingsholm (home of Gloucester RFC) in England, which was an amazing experience.

- In what ways to you think the Academy has developed your rugby skills?
The Academy has definitely improved my skill level and ability to read the game. I’ve been able to put that into practice when competing in provincial and international rugby, which the academy has helped me aspire towards.

- How have you found training with the full team?
In the beginning the prospect was quite daunting, it is the most physically demanding training I’ve ever done but now that we have established our roles and understand the training regime it has become a lot more manageable.

- Which Ulster Rugby player do you admire most?
It’s hard to pick one- Kieron Dawson, I always watched with London Irish when I was younger. Also, Roger Wilson, Neil Best and Neil McMillan, I’ve learned from seeing the condition that they are in what I need to aspire to.

- What are your ambitions for the upcoming season?
Hopefully to continue to develop with Ulster Rugby, to compete in as many A games as I can and maybe to get into the top four in the All Ireland League with Dungannon.

- You were part of the Ireland U20 team who clinched an unprecedented Grand Slam and Six Nations championship double.What was the most exciting match you played with the Ireland U20’s?
At the final match against Italy the atmosphere was electric. To come out at half time knowing we had so much work to do and then turn the game around to win 36-25 was such a fantastic feeling.

- How did it feel being told you had been selected for the squad?
It was such an exciting moment, as was competing in my first Six Nations.

- Who were your toughest opponents out of the matches that you played with the Ireland U20’s
Wales were our opponents in the first round of the competition so we didn’t know what to expect. The Welsh are so passionate about rugby that obviously the team were extremely well supported and it was a close match but we worked hard and won 17-15.

- What do you think of Ulster’s Heineken up pool for the 07/08 season?
It’s sure to be tough travelling away for the matches, but hopefully the ‘Ravenhill effect’ will carry the boys through.

- The fixtures for the RWC have now been released if you could go anywhere in the world to watch a match which one would you choose?

Definitely Ireland v France, seeing that game at the Stad de France would be an awesome experience.

- If Ulster Rugby had an unlimited budget who would you sign?
Richie McCaw, Captain of New Zealand - purely because of his technical ability, I’m sure that I could learn a lot from him.

Keep checking http://www.ulsterrugby.com/ for interviews with Academy players David Drake and Niall O’Connor later in the week.