After failing to be picked in the Manawatu Turbos ITM Cup squad in 2012, he headed south to try out for Canterbury's Colts side.
His development continued in 2013 when he was selected for the Crusaders Knights squad during the first half of the year and the Canterbury ITM Cup team in the latter part.
[8] Although Thompson wasn't initially named in the Canterbury squad for the 2013 ITM Cup, injuries and All Blacks call-ups meant that Thompson was promoted from the wider training group and went on to become a key player as the red and blacks were crowned ITM Cup Premiership champions.
The Cantabrians failed to defend their Premiership crown in 2014 but Thompson did feature in all 11 of their games during a season which culminated with elimination at the hands of local rivals, Tasman at the semi-final stage.
[11] He found opportunities easier to come by in Dunedin than he had in Christchurch and played 9 times for the tournament defending champions as they made the semi-finals before losing out 42-30 to the Lions in Johannesburg.