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Wales will feel the heat as Ashton pins England's hopes on Volcano
By PETER JACKSON - More by this author » Last updated at 22:50pm on 9th January 2008
England gave Wales ample notice yesterday that a volcanic eruption awaits them at Twickenham next month in the shape of a dreadlocked titan from the South Sea Islands.
Lesley Vainikolo will bring a whole new dimension to the Six Nations.
He is a wing of Jonah Lomu-like proportions, whose rugby journey from Nuku'alofa in his native Tonga will now take him to HQ via such improbable Red Rose nurseries as the Canberra Raiders, the Bradford Bulls and the New Zealand rugby league team.
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Striding away: The Volcano scores a try for Gloucester
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Brian Ashton plans to unleash the Polynesian at the outset of the tournament, convinced of his readiness after a whirlwind apprenticeship of nine tries in nine matches for Gloucester.
The coach is scornful of any suggestion that the 'Volcano' lacks the kicking game which even as distinguished a predecessor from League as Jason Robinson had to acquire.
Ashton said: "Why would you want a 6ft 2in wing weighing 18st to kick the ball away?
"I first saw him in rugby league five years ago and he had the wow, X-Factor then. He's powerful, very explosive and a good footballer with quick footwork. He isn't just a powerhouse runner but an intelligent player.
"His transition to union has been fairly straightforward, he's not been caught out defensively any time I've watched him and he's a threat all over the field. And he has also run 100metres in 10.8 seconds."
On the day Josh Lewsey and Andy Farrell headed the short casualty list from the World Cup, Vainikolo loomed large above everyone else.
As head coach, Ashton has been sold on Vainikolo since the 28-yearold first declared his England ambitions shortly after scoring five on his Premiership debut at Leeds last September — but even the man himself will have been surprised at the breakneck speed of events.
"My international hopes are firmly for the future," said Vainikolo after his first match for Gloucester. "I want to let my rugby do the talking for me and see what happens."
Since then his game, interrupted by a neck injury and a second return to Auckland on emergency family business last week, has not so much talked as shrieked his name from the rooftops.
After watching him score the most recent of his tries, in Gloucester's runaway European Cup home win over Bourgoin before Christmas, Ashton popped the question: "How about playing for England?"
Vainikolo told him: "I would be very, very excited at the possibility of doing that."
The RFU then set about ensuring that their new capture complied with international qualification regulations — which are no longer as useless as they were during the 'Grannygate' farce which exposed Welsh Kiwis Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson as ineligible.
After seven years at Bradford, Vainikolo had more than doubled the minimum three-year residential right to swop the Silver Fern for a Red Rose.
The only other issue was to eliminate any question that he had played at international level in Tonga before switching to league.
"We are waiting to receive one form from the Tongan Rugby Union," said Rob Andrew, the RFU's director of elite rugby.
"Lesley has signed a declaration that he hasn't played any representative rugby for Tonga."
Once he had fallen into their laps, the RFU were not about to ignore him for fear of offending traditionalists reared on the reasonable assumption that only Englishmen should play for England.
"We don't set the regulations," said Andrew.
"This guy is playing in England, he is eligible for England and he wants to play for England. We have to make sure we have the very best players who are eligible to play for us."
Sport » Rugby Union
Wales will feel the heat as Ashton pins England's hopes on Volcano
By PETER JACKSON - More by this author » Last updated at 22:50pm on 9th January 2008
England gave Wales ample notice yesterday that a volcanic eruption awaits them at Twickenham next month in the shape of a dreadlocked titan from the South Sea Islands.
Lesley Vainikolo will bring a whole new dimension to the Six Nations.
He is a wing of Jonah Lomu-like proportions, whose rugby journey from Nuku'alofa in his native Tonga will now take him to HQ via such improbable Red Rose nurseries as the Canberra Raiders, the Bradford Bulls and the New Zealand rugby league team.
Scroll down for more
Read more...
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Brian Ashton plans to unleash the Polynesian at the outset of the tournament, convinced of his readiness after a whirlwind apprenticeship of nine tries in nine matches for Gloucester.
The coach is scornful of any suggestion that the 'Volcano' lacks the kicking game which even as distinguished a predecessor from League as Jason Robinson had to acquire.
Ashton said: "Why would you want a 6ft 2in wing weighing 18st to kick the ball away?
"I first saw him in rugby league five years ago and he had the wow, X-Factor then. He's powerful, very explosive and a good footballer with quick footwork. He isn't just a powerhouse runner but an intelligent player.
"His transition to union has been fairly straightforward, he's not been caught out defensively any time I've watched him and he's a threat all over the field. And he has also run 100metres in 10.8 seconds."
On the day Josh Lewsey and Andy Farrell headed the short casualty list from the World Cup, Vainikolo loomed large above everyone else.
As head coach, Ashton has been sold on Vainikolo since the 28-yearold first declared his England ambitions shortly after scoring five on his Premiership debut at Leeds last September — but even the man himself will have been surprised at the breakneck speed of events.
"My international hopes are firmly for the future," said Vainikolo after his first match for Gloucester. "I want to let my rugby do the talking for me and see what happens."
Since then his game, interrupted by a neck injury and a second return to Auckland on emergency family business last week, has not so much talked as shrieked his name from the rooftops.
After watching him score the most recent of his tries, in Gloucester's runaway European Cup home win over Bourgoin before Christmas, Ashton popped the question: "How about playing for England?"
Vainikolo told him: "I would be very, very excited at the possibility of doing that."
The RFU then set about ensuring that their new capture complied with international qualification regulations — which are no longer as useless as they were during the 'Grannygate' farce which exposed Welsh Kiwis Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson as ineligible.
After seven years at Bradford, Vainikolo had more than doubled the minimum three-year residential right to swop the Silver Fern for a Red Rose.
The only other issue was to eliminate any question that he had played at international level in Tonga before switching to league.
"We are waiting to receive one form from the Tongan Rugby Union," said Rob Andrew, the RFU's director of elite rugby.
"Lesley has signed a declaration that he hasn't played any representative rugby for Tonga."
Once he had fallen into their laps, the RFU were not about to ignore him for fear of offending traditionalists reared on the reasonable assumption that only Englishmen should play for England.
"We don't set the regulations," said Andrew.
"This guy is playing in England, he is eligible for England and he wants to play for England. We have to make sure we have the very best players who are eligible to play for us."