LESLEY VAINIKOLO is the greatest predator in either rugby code, and Brian Ashton’s decision to include him in his 32-man squad for the Six Nations is a no-brainer. England may have an embarrassment of riches on the wing at the moment, but Vainikolo is the best finisher of the lot, even though he is a rugby union novice.

He set out his union stall with a five-try debut for Gloucester at Leeds in September, and he hasn’t looked back.

If he did, he would see an astounding try-scoring record in rugby league which saw him run in 149 tries in 152 appearances for the Bradford Bulls, and 14 in 12 Tests for the Kiwis.

More than anything, Vainikolo is tailor-made for the way England play. England play rough, tough, straightforward rugby - it is our traditional game, and the game we play well – and there is a massive benefit when you play that style in having a 6ft 2in, 17st-plus wing.

Tackling players of his size is manageable in rugby union because there are lots of them, but almost all of them are in the forwards. What is less manageable is when you are confronted with a wing who is the same size as most forwards and moves twice as fast.

The problem is that you could get the execution of the tackle against Vainikolo absolutely right in every respect but still not be successful, simply because in some circumstances his combination of size, power and pace is unstoppable.

Vainikolo comes to union as the greatest try-scorer since Martin Offiah, but if Offiah was coming at you head on five metres from the try-line you would back yourself to stop him. With Vainikolo you would need an army. You would need one round the top, one round the bottom of his legs, and probably another just to make sure that he hit the deck. The problem is that in international rugby union you cannot afford to double up on one man when you are defending in your own 22, because it inevitably opens up space for others to exploit.

It was a real coup for Gloucester to get him to sign at the start of this season because he is one of those players with the wow factor. The rugby public, whether it’s kids, parents, grandparents, male and female, warm to him. He is the classic bums-off-seats player, and every time he gets the ball there is the sense of something about to happen – and that explosive capability is just as magnetic to people at Kingsholm as it was at Odsal.

There is a strong body of opinion within union that many of the players coming over from rugby league are not up to the task, and the pathway has become a bit tainted following the departures of Iestyn Harris, Henry Paul and Leon Pryce. So far, Jason Robinson has been the great exception, not only because of his fantastic skills and pace but, above all, because he was a natural footballer.

It is proved that union and league are totally different games, because otherwise the transfer of such talented league players would be seamless and successful.

However, wing is clearly the easiest position in which to make the transition, and Vainikolo has the added advantage of coming from a union background in New Zealand before switching to league with such huge success.

The key for Vainikolo is whether or not he can get properly fit. At 29, and with a history of dodgy knees, I’m not sure he will be able to do all the training that the England coaches would like. Ideally, he needs to do the reverse of what Va’aiga Tuigamala did when he went from the All Blacks to Wigan, because the league boys made sure that he slimmed down and put on muscle to the extent that when he came back to union with Newcastle he was in fantastic shape.

Tuigamala was a huge success at Wigan, and he even made me watch league just to see what sort of an impact he would make. Vainikolo needs to make the same journey and mentally embrace rugby union. I don’t think he will find it difficult, because the atmosphere at Kingsholm – and also at Twickenham – is tailor-made for a big-game player like him.

There are all sorts of potential pitfalls waiting for him, with attack coaches wanting to see what he’s like when he’s turned, and putting the high ball up on him to see how his nerve holds. He will also be tested in terms of judgment in defence, especially when to come in and when to stay out. He may also have to adapt his tackling technique, because he is used to coming in chest-high and hitting hard.

In union, smaller guys will duck, and they will either get underneath him – or he will take their heads off. Either way, it would be a minus.

As for those who say that Vainikolo should not play for England because he is a Tongan who was raised in New Zealand, I say “Get over it”. He has qualified for England on residency, and we should look for the positives, not the negatives.

Professional rugby is full of cross-border transfers, and harking back to a golden age of amateurism is pointless. Things change. However, it would be unwise for Ashton to put Vainikolo straight into the starting lineup. Just like Sir Clive Woodward did with Jason Robinson, he needs to be drip-fed in international rugby terms, coming off the bench to begin with, because the tactical analysis could be overwhelming if it is all dumped on him at once.

But coming off the bench he would be a nightmare for opponents. Imagine Shane Williams and Mark Jones of Wales chasing hard for an hour against England, and then, just when they think they have a chance of winning, they see this big shadow, shaking his dreadlocks, fresh as a daisy, who can’t wait to get his hands on the ball. The Volcano is ready to erupt and England have a scrum five with a 15-yard blind side. Nobody in their right minds would fancy it.

Vainikolo is a dream ticket for England because he can access all areas in attack. He can score close or long range but he also has the golden ability to create as many tries as he scores, because he creates havoc as a decoy runner.

I can’t wait to see the Volcano rumble.