JAMES Thomas has had too much time for thinking. Way, way too much time for his liking.

First the back row forward goes over in his head the injury at Tonmawr when playing for Newport last November, the pain when he dislocated his right knee cap and suffered ligament damage.

Then the 20-year-old thinks back to his nightmare comeback against Blackwood in February, the agony when he ruptured ligaments in his left knee.

That second injury effectively ended his hopes of a contract extension with Newport Gwent Dragons.

It’s fair to say that Thomas, a former Wales Under-20s skipper, has suffered his fair share of misfortune.

But he is on the comeback trail and has targeted a return at the end of October for his new club Pontypool.

“It’s coming along slowly,” he said. “Effectively I will have had nearly a year out so I want to make sure I am right.

“The first month or two is so frustrating. You do sometimes wonder whether it’s all over because you are so used to playing and you are suddenly in a situation that isn’t normal.

“I didn’t want to go to watch games because I wanted to be out there playing myself.

“The injuries do go through your head, especially when you are at a game and see someone else tackled.

“I need to get over that and I want that first hit, but then that was what I wanted against Blackwood and I did my cruciate!

“I couldn’t believe it and it was a real kick in the teeth so soon after the first injury.

“I was out of contract at the end of the season and I was hoping to string together a run of games so that I could make an impression.

“Instead everything went backwards.”

Thomas made just one appearance for the Dragons – in the win against Sale in 2009 – but he hasn’t given up hope of earning a full-time contract in the future.

Objective A is to complete his rehab. Objective B is to impress with Pooler.

Thomas will start a biology degree at Cardiff University in September and, as Darwin theorised, is looking to adapt to the change so that he can thrive.

He said: “Last year I only played a handful of games for Newport, I just want to get back for Pontypool. I still want to be a pro but for now I just want to get back to the level I was playing at before the injuries.

“The good thing is that a lot of the boys in the Premiership – Andrew Coombs, Dan Way, Rhys Buckley, Lloyd Burns – pushed their way in, so the Dragons do notice you if you are performing well.

“If something comes up then great but I just want to enjoy my rugby. They say you play your best rugby when you are happy and that’s my aim.”