2001, competing in the 1995 and 2000 Rugby League World Cups. Upon his return from rugby union in 2006 he qualified for both New Zealand and Great Britain. Gloucester (rugby union) Paul spoke to National Rugby League club the Canterbury Bulldogs and Super 12 clubs the Auckland Blues and the Waikato Chiefs. He was eventually tempted away from the Bradford Bulls to play rugby union for Gloucester, by Philippe Saint-André and Tom Walkinshaw. He had a dream début for Gloucester, scoring 28 points against Caerphilly. Paul began a four-year contract at Kingsholm in 2001 and won an England A national squad selection after just one game for the Cherry and Whites. He was linked with a return his former club the Bradford Bulls, the Widnes Vikings and a move to NRL club the Canberra Raiders and a reunion with former coach at Bradford Matthew Elliott. Having experimented with being a fullback and fly-half he settled into the inside centre position and his long passing stood well with Gloucester's style of play. He had his best year with Gloucester Rugby in 2004 when he won the club's season ticket holders' Player of the Year award and was also nominated for the Zurich Premiership Player of the Year award alongside Bruce Reihana, Mark Robinson, Simon Shaw and Mark van Gisbergen. Whilst at Gloucester he started in the 2002 Zurich Championship Final (the year before winning the play-offs constituted winning the English title) in which Gloucester defeated Bristol Rugby, and the 2003 Powergen Cup Final in which Gloucester defeated Northampton Saints. England national team and sevens With his switch to rugby union, he decided to play for England rather than New Zealand. Although he was born in New Zealand, he qualified for England through his Liverpudlian grandfather. He won his first England cap as a replacement against France in the 2002 Six Nations Championship, but only managed to win a handful of caps thereafter, mostly during the 2004 Six Nations Championship, coming off the bench in Rome and at Murrayfield. He was also considered Man of the Match for England A against France A in March 2004 – with five penalties and a conversion. He excelled for the England Sevens side and was a member of the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games squads, winning a silver medal in 2006. Paul also was the acting captain of England Sevens when it won