Woodward takes a flyer and wins

Simpson-Daniel banishes his doubts with a debut which dazzles the game's big boys and promises much for England

The prospect of marking Jonah Lomu has caused many a seasoned campaigner to break out in a cold sweat. Best to feign injury, illness or an appointment with the dentist. Last weekJames Simpson-Daniel suffered Lomuitis. "I was really worried and nervous," he said. "What if I missed him and he scored a lot? I'd be absolutely gutted and depressed."

Forty-eight hours before the England-Barbarians match at Twickenham, Simpson-Daniel attempted to banish thoughts of apocalypse now by watching a matinee performance of the latest Star Wars film at his local cinema. "I'd woken at six in the morning. I was bad tempered, on edge and looked like a zombie. It was just nerves. I went to the cinema on my own to waste a few hours."

The Baa-Baas had the stars and England a shadow XV. No contest. Four days before his 20th birthday (his Gloucester team-mates brought him a T-shirt on the back of which were the words Golden- Bollocks), Simpson-Daniel scored one of the tries of the season, beating Lomu, as England triumphed 53-29. In a touch of legerdemain that bamboozled Percy Montgomery into going for the hyphen, Simpson-Daniel brilliantly executed a dummy with Phil Christophers before beating Lomu on the outside. As he went for the corner he was tackled by Christian Cullen.

"My first feeling was one of pain in my foot," Simpson-Daniel said. "It was very sore and I thought 'Sugar, I might have to go off.' My second worry was whether the try would be allowed but then they confirmed it on the big screen and I felt proud and a little bit surprised. We'd worked on a dummy switch in training but it was only at the last second that we decided to have a go. If it had gone wrong it would have been a bad decision. It's a 50-50 call. After getting round Lomu I thought I was easily in but Cullen must have flown."

Before the match, Clive Woodward, the England manager, had issued his players, most of them rookies, with little cards of encouragement. "Mine said 'Lomu v Simpson-Daniel – fantastic, enjoy, be confident. Good to work with you.'" Phil Vickery, the captain and Simpson-Daniel's Gloucester clubmate, also helped, telling the teenager: "I've got a feeling you're going to play well."

Sinbad, as he is addressed at Kingsholm, has been playing out of his boots – he has just been offered a contract with adidas – for the last few months. When Joe Lydon, whom Simpson-Daniel used to work with at England Under-19 level, was appointed the Red Rose sevens manager, Sinbad sent his congratulations. Lydon returned the text message: "Thank you Mr Possible sevens player."

In the world series sevens Simpson-Daniel was soon running around Durban, Chile, Argentina, China and Hong Kong, where England beat Fiji, specialists in the short game, in the final, the winger scoring three tries. "I was so thrilled and happy. I still can't believe it. Fiji scored first and I thought 'Oh God, this is it.' We were presented with tankards and as we did a lap of honour the crowd kept filling them with beer. I was a little wobbly before we got back to the dressing-room. It's something I'll never forget."

His locker is filling with memories. His Premiership debut last season consisted of one minute as a replacement at Northampton. "I remember it all. I chased a kick, tackled somebody and had one little run which ended when Ben Cohen caught me on the blind spot and smashed me to the floor. It was a big hit and Azam and Paramore were straight on the case." Nor can he forget his first try. "Tom Beim got injured against Rotherham and they said, 'Sinbad, get your kit off, you're on.' With my first touch I tried to sidestep and Mike Umaga got me with a high tackle. I got a big fat lip. Then we ran from deep and I sprinted in from the halfway line. I looked over at the Shed and smiled. The Shed was going nuts"

It is possibly the first time the earthy citizens of Fortress Grim have embraced a double-barrelled name, outside of elver-eating, mud-slinging, and goal-kicking. And a wing at that. Born at Yarm near Newcastle, Simpson-Daniel is one of four brothers who first picked up the ball and ran with it in the garden. Chris, the eldest at 23, signed for Bristol but operations on both knees have forced him to retire and into the family security business; Mark, who is 17, played for England Under-16 at scrum-half and then there is 12-year-old Charles. All learnt rugby at Sedbergh, the Alma Mater of Will Carling and Will Greenwood.

Under the head coach Neil Rollings, James became an attacking stand-off and a try scorer. "I used to be very quiet. I'd get the ball and ship it on. Neil got me running. The coaches were so good." Rollings has moved to Cheltenham College which is handy for Simpson-Daniel, who lives in Cheltenham.

When Simpson-Daniel graduated to England Under-18, the coach Peter Kingston, a former Gloucester scrum-half, switched him from No 10 to 13. England already had a promising stand-off in Olly Barkley. "Olly controlled the game and I played like a No 10 out wide with players running off me. It was a good combination." Barkley, who went to Bath and won a senior cap last summer, and Simpson-Daniel have played against each other once – last month Gloucester devoured their West Country rivals 68-12 at Kingsholm, the wing scoring three of their tries. He has a habit of putting the hyphen into hat-trick. Talking of which, it was Philippe Saint-André, who has since been replaced as coach of the Cherry and Whites by Nigel Melville, who moved Simpson-Daniel to the wing.

But why Gloucester? "I looked at several clubs and Gloucester made me feel at home. They treated me dead well. My dad and I agreed it was the place for us. We both felt really comfortable." Saint-André's signing of Diego Albanese meant that Simpson-Daniel's appearances were limited but all that has changed in the climax to the season. Today he plays at Sale in the second semi-final of the Zurich Championship and was one of Woodward's first names for this month's brief visit to Argentina.

"He has a huge future," Paul Turner, the Gloucester backs coach, said, "but whether it's on the wing, at outside centre or at No 10 remains to be seen. He does the right thing at the right time and his running game is superb. He hasn't been rushed or exposed but now he'll have to be on his mettle at all times."

Humility is a strong point in Simpson-Daniel, the only hint of self-promotion surfacing on the prospects of youngest brother Charles. "He can play anywhere in the backs and could become a good little player. I'll claim the credit. I coached him in the garden."