But his injury struggles are sure to have heavily influenced his imminent move to Wales, with time potentially running out in his finite window to cash in.
Thomson is also thought to qualify for Scotland through his grandparents and could, therefore, join former Highlanders flanker John Hardie in the Scottish national set up.
At this best, Thomson has been a bruising No 8 for Taranaki and the Hurricanes. He is a threat in the wide channels; thrives when getting his arms free to offload and offers a reliable lineout presence. He is also more than comfortable at blindside or lock.
Thomson came through the New Zealand under-20s development pathway and, when fit, also featured for NZ Maori.
His is another classic case of how hard it is to retain experienced players who sit on the fringe of the All Blacks.
While top All Blacks can bank in excess of $1 million per season in New Zealand when all top up payments are factored in, a big drop exists to the next group. Players such as Thomson frequently double their earnings abroad.
The same is true for the likes of Hurricanes team-mate Brad Shields, George Moala, Charlie Ngatai, Seta Tamanivalu and Dominic Bird, all of whom are expected to depart soon.
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