Crusaders' Gareth Thomas is fantastic - Nick Youngquest

Thomas' Crusaders are enjoing a much improved second Super League season

Rugby union convert Gareth Thomas won high praise from Crusaders team-mate Nick Youngquest after his first try in league, in the 10-20 win at Wakefield.

"He was fantastic," said Youngquest, 26, whose own performance was highly praised by coach Brian Noble.

"To change sports at 35 and to do what he has been doing is awesome.

"Not only is he a great player but he is a great bloke who's learning week by week and, as you saw against Wakefield, he is getting better and better."

Former British and Irish Lions skipper Thomas, the only player to win 100 caps for Wales, has joined a Crusaders side who have improved remarkably in their second Super League season.

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The victory at the Hearwell Stadium was their second on the road and their fourth of the year, having only won three times in their inaugural Super League season.

"It was good to get back to winning ways and to get the two points," said former St George and Gateshead winger Youngquest, who scored his third try of the season in the game.

"We've been working really hard on a number of things in training and it paid off against Wakefield.

York are going to want to come out, knock us out and cause a bit of an upset Nick Youngquest

"We'd probably let the last two games slip at Castleford and Bradford so it was good to get the result."

Youngquest has urged his side to avoid complacency in Sunday's Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round clash against Co-operative Championship One side York City Knights at the Huntington Stadium.

The Knights currently lie sixth in their division but Youngquest insists that Crusaders will not be taking their opponents lightly.

"It should be good and I am really looking forward to it," said the winger.

"I played in the Challenge Cup last year for Gateshead against St Helens and we really tried to raise our game against opposition from a higher division.

"We wanted to go out there and prove we could mix it with the best in Super League and I expect York will want to do the same.

"Obviously I don't know too much about York but they are going to want to come out, knock us out and cause a bit of an upset.

"We have just got to go there and make sure we do our job, make sure we get the result and go through to the next round."