Hammer & Tonga

England want Lesley Vainikolo to be their X-Factor winner, but Iain Morrison finds the man they call the Volcano just wants to see his family's name up there on the big stage.

FOR every yin in the world there is a yang, for every action, a reaction – and for every Jason Robinson there is a Henry Paul. Unfortunately not every rugby league player makes a successful transition from one code to the other. When a star from the 13-man game signs on with a union club their first game under the new rules generates huge interest. It is a little like watching an egg hatch, the birth of something, the dawning of a new day; everyone hopes it will turn out fine but until the player is put to the test no one can know for sure.

Lesley Vainikolo's first 80 minutes of meaningful union came back on 16 September 2007 when Gloucester played Leeds Carnegie. He scored five tries in what can probably pass muster as a decent debut.
The big Tongan looked a good 'un from the off and so he should have. Vainikolo arrived at Kingsholm with the best scoring record of all time in Superleague after dotting down 149 times in 152 appearances for the Bradford Bulls. Moreover he had proved himself at the very highest level with 14 tries in 12 appearances for the Kiwis, New Zealand's rugby league test team.

The only question left is the rather obvious one, what on earth is a Tongan-born, New Zealand passport holder and former Kiwi test player doing in the England squad?

"It was a hard decision for me," he admits, "because I was born in Tonga and I grew up in New Zealand and now I'm playing for England but why not? It's kinda like my long term goal is to put my family name up there at the very highest level of rugby.

"I don't really care (who I play for]. I've opted for England and they are putting bread on the table for me and for my family back home as well so I don't really care. All I want is to play to the highest level that I can and put my family's name up there."

It nearly didn't happen. Epi Taione called him during the World Cup and asked Vainikolo to join the Tongan team after injuries had depleted their squad. "That was straight after my first (union] game," says the man in the spotlight. "It's a personal thing and I didn't think I was up for it. Everything was happening so quickly, I felt I needed more games under my belt before I could make my mark."

And his Tongan pals have forgiven him for throwing his lot in with England instead? "It's been really good. I was in New Zealand when they named the squad and everybody was good, all the Tongans were good. I don't really know about the New Zealanders but I am happy that the people close to me back me 110% whatever I do with my life."

In the course of our conversation it quickly becomes apparent that family is the start, the middle and the conclusion of just about everything that motivates the giant winger, in which case the last few weeks must have been horribly difficult ones for him. He lost one brother and his father within a month of each other; Kava died of a heart attack while his father Solomone lost his fight with asthma just before his son was selected for England.

His late father was 'told' of his son's call-up as the body lay awaiting burial in accordance with Tongan customs. The knowledge that his wife Sienna is expecting their first baby in March may help ease the pain of Vainikolo's loss. It is little wonder that he puts his family first.

"The most important thing for me is that people know my family name. I come from a close family. My family is a real circle of life and we do it together. No matter who goes high or low we all go together as one. My family comes first no matter what the consequences, my family comes first," says this ardent believer. Vainikolo habitually carries a bible given to him by his mother and reads from it before every match; his version must be what they refer to as "muscular Christianity".

In defending his decision to rush the 28-year-old into his Six Nations squad after exactly nine matches of rugby union Brian Ashton offered two compelling reasons for the indecent haste; the "X-factor" and the "wow-factor", both of which he thinks will light up this year's tournament. "He's got the X-factor," said the England boss, "and players with the X-factor are pretty important in the international game."

The Wigan-born coach is a keen admirer and why would he not be? He admits to having first witnessed "the Volcano" erupting fully five years ago when he was playing for Bradford. "He's a try scorer, a threat all over the field, pretty quick as well. But he's not only your traditional powerhouse winger, he's intelligent. I've seen him play centre and he's certainly a pretty good all-round package."

When asked about the absence of Vainikolo's kicking game, an exasperated Ashton answered: "Why would you want an 18 stone 6ft 2in player to kick the ball away?" Why indeed?

The winger is quick, having been an athlete in his younger days when he was clocked at 10.8 for the 100 metres. A little broader and a little slower now, many think that rather than the inevitable comparisons to Jonah Lomu this Tongan flyer is more like another island convert from league, Va'aiga Tuigamala.

"Inga the Winger" as he was known played for Newcastle and, despite the moniker, he ended up filling the No.13 shirt with distinction. There is talk that Ashton has already spoken to the new recruit about his best position with a view to giving him a run at outside centre at some point.

Vainikolo laughs off the suggestion before offering one of his own. "It is good to be compared to other players but in a way it disrespects me. I'm Lesley. I'm trying hard to make my name and put my family name up there. I'm not trying to be anyone else." Point taken, and I doubt that anyone in their right mind actively wants to go poking sticks at this guy.

The winger admits that he grew up not knowing that this Six/Five Nations championship even existed, but in just one week's time he may be playing a starring role. England have Wales first up and the prospect of 5ft 8in of Shane Williams going head to head with Lesley "the Volcano" Vainikolo is one to have the League Against Cruel Sports up in arms. For every match there is a mismatch. k

How they shape up

ENGLAND
Colours: White with red slash
Stadium: Twickenham
Odds: 2-1

Coach: Brian Ashton
Ashton was criticised for his leadership during the World Cup by some players - but he was reappointed along with coaches Mike Ford and John Wells after leading England to the final.

Captain: Phil Vickery
Ashton had no hesitation in reappointing Vickery for the Six Nations after the pair formed a strong bond on the rocky road to the World Cup final. "I have stood by Phil, he has stood by me. We had a difficult year together last year, but we came through it."

Key man: James Haskell
It is a bold statement given Haskell is not guaranteed to start the championship, such is England's wealth of back row options. But the dynamic Wasps flanker has a star quality and is already showing it at Heineken Cup level.

Strengths: Forwards
England proved at the World Cup there is no side in the world who can match them up front which is why Ashton has retained the likes of gnarly hooker Mark Regan. Ashton will hope they can set a platform to free a back division with outrageous potential.

Weaknesses: Potential inexperience
England learned their lessons from post-2003 and Ashton wants to embrace the next generation but he must also find the right balance between youth and experience. Too many bright-eyed newcomers could see England exposed.

Did you know?

Lesley Vainikolo will become the second New Zealand rugby league international to play union for England, following Henry Paul.

Scott Hastings' verdict

England were the one team that managed to turn their game plan around during the Rugby World Cup and Brian Ashton has a greater depth of pool to choose from compared to the other home unions. When combining the core experience of his World Cup final squad with the exuberance of youth, especially those players who have shone in the Heineken Cup, England are a team that once again expect to deliver results.

Up front, captain Phil Vickery will be alongside George Chuter and Andrew Sheridan and whilst the loss of Simon Shaw will be of concern, England have plenty of experience to choose from including the wise old head of Ben Kay. In the back row, James Haskell is one of England's bright young stars and Ashton can develop a more dynamic attacking back row by employing the likes of Joe Worsley and Lewis Moody.

In the backs, Jonny Wilkinson (pictured) is a shoo-in at stand-off but keep an eye out for Danny Cipriani. At 20, he has bags of energy and attacking vision either as a centre or at full-back. Mathew Tait could become one of the best modern day centres and on the wings England could prove a real handful. Lesley Vainikola is as brutal and damaging a runner as anyone in the game. And David Strettle, back from injury, is a winger who will go for the try line.

My Six Nations Routine: Damian Hopley

Like lots of ex-players, my matchday tends to revolve around hospitality. I'm the head of the Professional Rugby Union Players Association and we run a function for about 300 guests at Twickenham. Among others, we've got Danny Grewcock, Pete Richards, Mike Catt and David Humphreys doing question and answer sessions before the lunch and after each match we'll have four of the guys who played in the game give us a candid post-mortem on the game. After that I'll repair to the Cricketers on Richmond Green for a few quiet pints with guys like Jason (Leonard), Austin (Healey) and Lawrence (Dallaglio) – to hear how they could have done it better, followed by a couple of noisy nightcaps at that famous old rugby pub The Sun. I'll be going over to France this year, where I'll be meeting up with Augustin Pichot – I'm helping him get an Argentinian players' association off the ground. I'll also have a couple of RFU Council events to attend. Paris and Edinburgh are my two favourite away trips. I was at University in St Andrews and played for Scottish Universities, so there are lots of old mates to catch up on: if England have won, we'll take a stroll down George Street, and if they've lost I'll go and lick my wounds somewhere out of the way, like at Malmaison in Leith, as I did last time.