Lesley's England pledge

He cannot do anything about rescuing the World Cup operation but Gloucester's summer capture from Bradford Bulls will qualify on the threeyear residency rule.

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The 28-year-old Tongan, nicknamed 'The Volcano', has applied for a British passport which his new club expect to be processed by the end of the year.

At 6ft 2in, almost 18st and with a personal best of 10.8sec for the 100metres, Vainikolo generates more physical ferocity and raw power than any current English wing.

'I have international ambitions but they are firmly for the future,' he said. 'My immediate priority is to continue settling in at Gloucester and playing well for the club.

'They are my new family now. I still have lots to learn but international rugby is something I would like to consider at some stage down the track. I want to let my rugby do the talking for me.'

His eligibility for England, based on seven years at Odsal, will not be affected by the fact that he has played international rugby league on 12 occasions for New Zealand — the country his family emigrated to when he was six.

Several precedents have been set, most recently by another Gloucester signing from the Bulls, Henry Paul, who has since returned to rugby league with Harlequins RL.

After 149 tries in 152 matches in Super League, Vainikolo's volcanic start to his first-class union career will make him a magnetic target for England in their post-World Cup reorganisation.

Five tries in 42 minutes against Leeds Carnegie at Headingley have given him a flying start to breaking the Premiership's record for the most in one season, set at 17 by Dominic Chapman for Richmond 10 seasons ago.

No player had previously scored five tries on his debut in 11 Premiership seasons and Vainikolo's weekend tally fell one short of the record six tries scored by Ryan Constable for Saracens against Bedford in 2000.

Gloucester head coach Dean Ryan added: 'Lesley is a massive addition and what we see with him scoring is fantastic, but the space he creates for others is something we're getting used to. He can do things other players cannot.'

That fact alone will make him an irresistible prospect for England head coach Brian Ashton.