David Leggat: No caving in this time

A cynic would say it's appropriate Wales have been down for so long, as it's a land full of valleys.

The troughs have far outweighed the peaks in the past 15 years, but there is a glint in the eye of the Welsh ahead of Sunday's World Cup quarter-final against England.

Not so big a glint to suggest they'll knock their oldest, fiercest rivals who happen to be among the favourites out of the tournament, but big enough to raise the prospect that there is light at the end of a gloomy tunnel.

Not only have they turned a 10-match losing streak around with a five-game winning burst, but in their 53-37 loss to the All Blacks last weekend, which ended that victorious run, they showed what is possible when you have young men who are not saddled with old baggage and possess talent and attitude.

That was best exemplified by little wing Shane Williams - just 1.70m and 77kg - who darted around lunging All Blacks with an impish air, and flanker Jonathan Thomas, arguably Wales' best player that night, still only 20 and with a booming future and not a moment's thought to looking back down the abyss of recent years.

Neither has been through the years of despair, although 26-year-old Williams, with 12 caps over three years, has had a taste of it.

The size which helped him catch the All Blacks leaden-footed might yet be too big a handicap for the diminutive Williams in the long term, but it is the same quality which suggests Thomas will be around for many years.

He made his test debut against Australia in Sydney last June, came to New Zealand and sat on the reserves bench as Wales tumbled to a 55-3 loss, and had his first starting game of the World Cup against the All Blacks.

There is no guarantee Welsh coach Steve Hansen will name Thomas in his starting XV tonight for the England game but he is a sitter for a spot somewhere in the 22.

He is what the Welsh hope will be the standard-bearer for the next generation of Welsh player, mobile, aggressive and versatile with good ball skills and a decent turn of speed.

"He's going to be a fantastic athlete. He's still a young man and will only get better," said senior Welsh forward Gareth Llewellyn, who has seen a truckload of average forwards come and go in the scarlet jersey since making his debut against the All Blacks in 1989.

Thomas, while delighted with what was achieved against the All Blacks, was also smart enough to swiftly point out the game was still lost. Still, there were lessons learned.

"We're quite a young side and we're trying to improve every game, trying to learn from all our performances and take out the positives."

There was a psychological fillip for Wales late in that Sydney game which did not escape Thomas' attention, either.

"I don't think there's been too many games over the last few years when you'd see New Zealand go for the posts with 15 minutes to go. That was a little battle won."

And therein lies the key for Wales. Small steps, always climbing, looking to better themselves. No giant leaps here.

Here's another small step: in Hamilton, the All Blacks got in front early and simply motored away. In Sydney they were 7-0 up in the first couple of minutes, but it was Wales who were ahead going into the final quarter.

"In Hamilton we caved in a bit. We knew we were a lot more capable than that. When it happened in Sydney there was a sense of, 'right boys, get the ball, keep the ball and go through the phases and we can compete with them'."

England will be a different challenge. They will look to monster the Welsh pack, they will not be biffing the ball out to their wide men until the platform is established.

It is winner take all rather than what was essentially a runabout pool game with nothing tangible on the line.

"If we can't get up for Wales against England, quarter-final of the World Cup ... " Thomas shook his head.

"All the boys will be up for it."

Wales are blessed in the loose forward department. Once captain Colin Charvis, now 30 and coming to the end of a 10-year in-and-out career, departs, look for a back three of Thomas, Dafydd Jones, a big, rugged 24-year-old, and Martyn Williams, 28, with 38 caps and a Lions tour behind him to cement themselves.

They will certainly not be the worst around the international game.