If a man's circumstances can be judged by the state of the car he drives, Henry Paul's life is not running smoothly. His smart black BMW has the sleekest of leather seats and a stereo with major attitude but the front off-side bumper and lights are crumpled and smashed, while assorted items including a loose lightbulb are strewn across the passenger seat. Even if you know nothing about the driver's day-job, this is a vehicle whose owner is clearly in a serious hurry.

Which, of course, neatly mirrors Paul's current professional circumstances. If he wants to be a part of England's 30-man World Cup squad next year, Gloucester's cross-code enigma now has no option but to step hard on the accelerator. This week his name was omitted from Clive Woodward's 50-strong elite England training squad, underlining the competition he faces. Today, playing in front of the famous Shed against Sale Sharks and his old Wigan pal Jason Robinson, it will be fascinating to see how he responds.

For, despite his latest setback, an in-form Paul could yet revolutionise the medium-term futures of both Gloucester and England. If he were to transform the peripheral figure he often cut last season in the 15-a-side game into the strutting guv'nor of his Wigan and Bradford Bulls days, it would light the cherry-and-white touchpaper at Kingsholm as never before. England would suddenly have another Austin Healey or Mike Catt, capable of slotting in anywhere and kicking goals to boot.

At 28 he is still a relative union novice, though, and time is of the essence. Woodward says he was "brutally honest" when the pair spoke by phone on Thursday. The bottom line is that Paul must throw away his union L-plates and start performing for Gloucester to fight his way back into the elite.

In the Gloucester dressing room at least they still have faith in Paul's potential. "When Henry gets the ball you're dead excited because you always think something will happen," says Simon Amor, a colleague in the England squad which won the Hong Kong Sevens. "He can spot the hole in a defensive line wherever it is and you can see his brain working out the best way to get the runner through it. Henry's strength is not necessarily making breaks; it is seeing the spaces."

That is fair enough but, after nearly a year at Gloucester, the Kingsholm supporters' website is still full of angst about whether "HP" (or "The Sauce" as they call him), or the colossal boot of the Frenchman Ludovic Mercier is the better bet at fly-half. "Initially he was a bit hesitant on the ball because he wasn't used to people being so close to him," says Amor. "But you wait; Henry will be great this year. By the end of the season people will be singing his praises because he'll make so much happen. I think he could be another option for England at No10. He just needs experience in the position."

Having parked up at Gloucester's new training base on the city's outskirts and found a quiet corner to talk, the Auckland-reared Paul, qualified for England via his mother's father, also feels his apprenticeship has been made harder by the media. "What they did was confuse me with Jason Robinson. We're two totally different people, different positions, different players." Did that bother him? "When they start going on about how I feel it's all made up, as no one really knows. Criticism doesn't affect me."

The England sevens manager Joe Lydon disagrees, confiming even Paul's immense self-belief was badly bruised after his unsuccessful debut as a raw replacement thrust into the maelstrom of England's Six Nations defeat in Paris. "He's a powerful, elusive, confident player but that confidence was knocked a little bit with the way he was introduced into the game. I've no doubt in his ability, though. He's a great athlete and you can't coach the things Henry has. What Henry needs is to be coached in the things he hasn't got."

Cue Nigel Melville, Gloucester's director of rugby. "First and foremost Henry is a fantastic rugby player. He's a winner and I want 15 of them on the field." As Lydon confirms, however, Gloucester have a dilemma: "If you want someone to kick goals and win you games, you wouldn't have Henry at 10, you'd pick Mercier. But if you want someone to unlock a defence and create an opportunity for someone else, you would probably pick Henry. It's a balancing act but Henry makes turnstiles tick. Maybe he's a bit unpredictable at times but so are most great players. If Nigel provides the opportunity for Henry to blossom, then Henry will provide Clive Woodward with a player who'll be a great asset to any squad."

Paul also remains positive. "When I first came down, there was frustration, because Philippe Saint-André wasn't as technical as I needed, but Nigel runs a totally different regime." But he is aware the buck now stops with himself. "There are no guarantees in our sport. It would obviously be great to make the World Cup squad but initially it's lit tle steps. It's really up to me to get out on the park, do the work and get the results." Outplaying Jason Robinson in front of Woodward today would be a perfect way to start.