LUKE Charteris aims to recapture his glorious 2011 World Cup form as he makes his first Test start in a year when Wales clash with Tonga tonight.

A serious knee injury while playing for his club Perpignan last Christmas kept the second row out of the game for over nine months.

But the 30-year-old ex-Newport Gwent Dragons favourite is raring to go this evening after his long and tortuous road back to full fitness.

Charteris is in the first XV after making his Wales comeback earlier this month as a replacement in the 24-15 defeat to South Africa before coming off the bench again to play a role in the record 40-6 triumph over Argentina last week.

The 6ft 9in and 19st 9lb giant was superb in the World Cup held in New Zealand two years ago, featuring in all of Wales’ seven games as they ended the tournament in fourth, their best finish since securing third place in 1987’s inaugural competition.

But Charteris hasn’t had much luck of late with his fitness, a wrist injury in December 2011 affecting his Six Nations last year, although he did end up a Grand Slam winner after winning caps as a replacement in the last two victories over Italy and France.

And last December’s devastating injury, ruptured medial knee ligaments sustained during Perpignan's clash with Montpellier, shattered his realistic hopes of making the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia.

Talking about his terrible setback last Christmas, Charteris, who wins his 43rd cap tonight, said: “It’s has been a long way back. It was the end of December when the injury happened.

“I was looking down and I saw the bottom half of leg over here – it’s one of those you know instantly it’s going to be a long spell out and that did hit me straight away.

“I was just lying on the pitch and I knew straight away – the Six Nations was gone, any chance of the Lions was gone. You know all that straight away and you have a few days of mopping around and whatever. But it’s part of the job. You’ve just got to suck it up.”

Charteris’ calibre attracted leading French club Perpignan who lured him away from Rodney Parade last year on a lucrative deal just as he was hitting peak form.

And the Cornish-born lock forward is setting his sights on hitting the highs he achieved at the last World Cup.

“The aim is to get back to my World Cup form and I was happy with the way I played in the year after the tournament,” Charteris said.

“Everything was all good, but then I had the wrist injury and then the knee injury. But that’s the way it is. There’s always ups and downs. The only good thing about having a long term injury like that is that it gives the rest of your body a chance to heal up and get over all the knocks and stuff and I’ve basically been given a year’s pass, so it’s one year less under the engine which was quite good.”