IT’S no surprise Tom Lindsay finished off his try last Sunday like a winger – he used to be one.

Looking at the 110kg 24-year-old, it might be hard to imagine him playing in the back three, as he did until the age of 18. But it’s a fact, and actually the hard-hitting front row that Wasps fans see now is a new, slimmed down version of the Jona Lomu-wannabe who first joined the club.

He said: “I’ve lost a lot of weight since then. I was a lot bigger when I was a kid, by about 15kg. I was still fast even though I was carrying a lot of weight, and I’ve got alright feet, but I was never a dainty winger.

“It was Craig Dowd who masterminded everything. He thought if he’s that powerful on the wing, imagine what he could do in the front row.

“I’ve been working in the front row since then.”

And although Lindsay admits he’d love another chance out wide, he says deciding to switch was a no-brainer.

He said: “Every forward you ask would happily go to the wing. But they offered me a contract and said, would you like to play front row? I said, if you offer me a contract I’ll do whatever you want.”

It hasn’t been easy though. The required skill sets don’t easily transfer and Lindsay has found himself marking time behind Rob Webber, who is only two years older and has just been called up by England.

Lindsay said: “Whenever I’ve played this season I think I’ve played well. The feedback I’ve got off the coaches has been good. There were a couple of missed throws against Bayonne away, but that wasn’t the end of the world and the coaches were still pleased with how I played.

“Rob Webber being in the EPS gives me a chance. Being behind him has been hard. He’s quite durable but there’s no point getting frustrated. If you get frustrated you get annoyed with yourself and start making mistakes. I’ll get a run of games now so I just want to play well and show the coaches what I can do and why they should pick me.”

A few more tries like the one he touched down against Bordeaux would help.

It came right at the end of the game and was the crucial fourth try, earning the bonus point that secured a home draw against Biarritz in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Lindsay had open ground in front of him when he got the ball, but he was a full 30m out and there aren’t many hookers who’d get home from there.

Lindsay said: “I think I’ve only got two tries for the first team at Wasps. The other one was a crash ball over the line against Quins, but for the A team I’ve scored a few like I did the other night.

“It was fantastic. I couldn’t really believe it. Everything opened up for me and I just enjoyed it. Dom [Waldouck] and Simmo [Joe Simpson] were screaming at me, but I wasn’t going to pass. I backed myself and whenever I get the chance I just get my head down and go.

“I was a back three player for all my rugby life up to 18, but I’m probably faster now. I’m still quite agile and hopefully I’ll keep my pace now even though I’ve changed position.”