"He has natural handling skills and all the instincts of a back-row player.
"When you put all that into the front row you are just adding to the melting pot in the pack.
"Will he play against Scotland? If his performance against Saracens is typical he will not be far away. He showed there just what impact he has for a pack.
"Throwing in is the key for a hooker these days, hooking is now an irrelevance.
"Hookers had an easier time a couple of years back because the line-outs were uncontested.
"Now everybody is contesting and throwing in is critical and Steve has had to learn that."
England's faith in Thompson was demonstrated last summer when they took him on the tour of Canada and the United States even though he was carrying an injury.
Thompson played a few minutes of one game - although it was not a Test match - and spent many hours practising his throwing twice a day.
He said: "It was a rare chance to really work and get into such a specific skill. When the pressure is on I still try and replay what we did in Canada and the States."
