Thomas boots Wasps into trouble

Arwel Thomas said goodbye to the lean times with a perfor -mance that destroyed one of the heavyweight contenders for the Heineken Cup.

The 11st 7lb Swansea fly half maybe only a few pounds heavier than the will-o'-the-wisp who waltzed round England four years ago. But after two years of slim pickings he has recovered his appetite for the game - and on Saturday he tucked into Wasps.

He kicked 29 points, including three drop goals, and controlled the game so completely that he even had time to jig to the music blaring out of the tannoy. 'I was just enjoying myself,' he said after his side's 54-28 victory at St Helens. 'I lost my hunger for the game but I've got that back now.

'I found it very difficult when I was fly half for Wales because there was so much going on off the pitch. I was not ready for it then but I feel I'm a more complete player now.'

Thomas, still only 25, made his last appearance for Wales two years ago, in the 96-13 hammering by South Africa at Loftus Versfeld. Graham Henry took over as coach a month later and picked Neil Jenkins, and then Stephen Jones, ahead of him. Both are at least two stones heavier than Thomas, the bantamweight from Swansea, who admits that makes a difference. 'It's a physical game and teams learned to pinpoint me,' he said. 'But I'm stronger than I was and I'm desperate to play for Wales again.'

After an encouraging opening 20 minutes, Wasps struggled to lay a hand on Thomas. When prop Darren Molloy limped off, the pack collapsed and the Swansea backs shredded the Londoners' defence.