It has been a long four years since the last World Cup for Jonah Lomu, the giant New Zealand winger who has been married, divorced and overcome a life-threatening kidney disease.
A typically forceful display, after coming on as substitute for the second half of the Bledisloe Cup, provided tangible evidence that the 6ft 5in Lomu - now trimmed back to his 18st of '95 - is indeed ready to rumble once more.
The All Black who wrecked England's World Cup bid in South Africa in 1995, said yesterday that he is ready to dish up more of the bullocking runs that made him the biggest name in the sport.
"I'm a far better footballer now and I'm probably hungrier than I've ever been," Lomu said as the All Blacks prepared for their opening Pool B match against Lomu's native Tonga at Bristol on Sunday.
"I want to prove that the last World Cup wasn't just a fluke. "I'm really looking forward to the World Cup, especially with it being in Britain and Ireland. I have huge fan mail from all over the UK."
Lomu who had only just turned 20 when he destroyed the World Cup hopes of England and Scotland almost single-handedly, claims that he is more at peace with himself these days.
The big man's world collapsed around him in 1998 when he was struck down by a kidney complaint and the legacy is not confined to the tablets he has to take to keep the condition under control.
"When I was young, I just didn't appreciate everything that happened to me," he added. "Now I've come through the illness, I'm a lot more settled."
The 24-year-old Lomu, who has scored 17 tries in 31 matches for the All Blacks, has his media interviews and public appearances strictly controlled by Phil Kingsley-Jones, his manager and close friend who witnessed Lomu's fightback from the depths of despair.
"It's taken him a bit of time to get over his illness but he's now back to his very best," said Kingsley-Jones.
"He is the same weight as for the last World Cup and he is looking magnificent. He looks like if you tried to hammer a nail into him, you couldn't.
"He's been through all the pain and all the suffering and he's fired up. "After the illness and all the trials and tribulations of his early life, I think he appreciates where he's come from.
