Six Nations: For more than a decade England have sought their own version of Jonah Lomu, and the incredible hulk of their dreams has duly materialised. Lesley Vainikolo not only shares Lomu's Tongan heritage but has the thigh circumference and pace to match.
Little wonder Brian Ashton looked so perky after including the 28-year-old Gloucester wing in his 32-man squad for the Six Nations Championship.
It matters not, apparently, that Vainikolo does not yet have a British passport, has represented New Zealand at rugby league, has played only seven 15-a-side games in England and is on the other side of the world attending to a serious family matter. But size matters in the modern union game and England are clearly impatient for "The Volcano" to start rumbling at Twickenham.
The prospect of a Tongan wing representing multicultural England in 2008 should be a much smaller deal than it feels. Even so, there is an element of indecent haste about Vainikolo's elevation. Rob Andrew, the England Rugby Football Union's director of elite rugby, has not even received formal word from the Tongan Rugby Union that Vainikolo has never played at representative level for the Sea Eagles, which would make him ineligible for England. Assuming that clearance is given, six years' residency means the former Bradford Bull is eligible under International Rugby Board rules.
Ashton, as a committed rugby league fan, knows precisely what he is getting. Vainikolo scored 149 tries in 152 games for the Bulls and he already has nine tries in his short career at Kingsholm.
"I first saw him five years ago and there was a bit of a 'wow' factor then," revealed Ashton, dismissing speculation the big man's knees are not in great shape. "I know what he can do. He's got the X-factor, and you don't see too many English wingers of 6ft 2in and 18st. I think you should talk to the guys who have got to play against him and see how dodgy they think his knees are going to be."
It is Josh Lewsey who loses out in favour of the Tongan.
The presence of Charlie Hodgson ahead of Olly Barkley, however, involves non-rugby reasons. The official line is Barkley, who was charged with assault following an alleged brawl at a wedding last summer, has been left out to allow him to concentrate on a committal hearing in February.
Never again, though, can Englishmen whinge about the All Blacks poaching South Sea talent.
England squad
Backs:I Balshaw (Gloucester), D Cipriani (Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), T Flood (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Harlequins), C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), J Noon (Newcastle), P Richards (London Irish), P Sackey (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester).
Forwards:S Borthwick (Bath), T Croft (Leicester), G Chuter (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), J Haskell (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), M Regan (Bristol), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Stevens (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), J Worsley (Wasps).
