Gloucester winger Vainikolo scored his first try of the season on Sunday

Gloucester winger Lesley Vainikolo has admitted he was in too much of a rush to make an impression in rugby union after his switch from rugby league.

Vainikolo moved from Bradford Bulls in June 2007 and was drafted into the England side in January 2008.

He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "It was a bit too fast, with everything happening quickly in the first year.

"I just needed to calm down a bit and concentrate on what I do. I still need to learn a bit more."

The 29-year-old scored nine tries for Gloucester and earned England caps last season but this year he has started several times on the bench.

But the Tonga-born star scored his first Premiership try of the season in Sunday's 25-21 win at Saracens and is eager to continue improving.

"You only learn from your team mates and your coaching staff," he said. "You need to play with good players and you learn from them as well."

Despite injury problems affecting the team this season, Vainikolo said the players still fight for their spots.

"You want to build your confidence in winning games and you want to get in a good form, which we are aiming for," he added.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version