If Danny Cipriani appears in a hurry when he runs out against the Pacific Islanders at Twickenham tomorrow afternoon then it is little wonder.

England’s precocious fly-half is desperate to catch the elite group of young British sportsmen who have been building their careers so spectacularly while he has been injured.

Men such as Wayne Rooney, 23, who lifted the Champions League trophy in May, and Andy Murray, 21, who has soared to number four in the tennis world and is tipped to win his first Grand Slam next year by Bjorn Borg.

And, of course, new motor racing world champion Lewis Hamilton, 23, who some believe will be Britain’s first £1billion sportsman and whose achievement last Sunday in Brazil has given Cipriani added inspiration to take into the autumn internationals.

Cipriani, who turned 21 last Sunday, said: “Hamilton’s obviously a very determined guy, he’s very focused and what’s impressive is that he’s very single-minded in what he does.

“The fact that he’s so young and successful drives other young sportsmen as well. It really raises the bar and sets the target.”

Cipriani, like Hamilton, is the sort of guy who settles for nothing less than pole position. That was obvious when he displaced Jonny Wilkinson from the number 10 position against Ireland in last season’s Six Nations and helped himself to 18 points in his first full international.

It was also behind the speed with which he has recovered from the horrific ankle injury he suffered in May.

By rights Cipriani should not have pulled on rugby boots again until the new year, but he was desperate to be involved at the start of a new era under manager Martin Johnson.

He maintains that regular training stints with sprint coach Margot Wells have made him faster than he was before his injury.

He is stronger, too, after hundreds of hours in the gym, despite all those pictures of him at London celebrity haunts with actress and girlfriend Kelly Brook.

And the latest bulletin on his wounded ankle: “No problems whatsoever. The only time it gets stiff is in the morning when I take my first few steps out of bed. It warms up after that.”

That is good news for England and Johnson, who has insisted his side would not be trying to play “sexy rugby” at the expense of winning rugby.

With Cipriani pulling the strings, the nippy Danny Care at scrum-half and an adventurous assistant coach in Aussie Brian Smith the truth is England look well placed to deliver both.

Cipriani agreed.

“Smithy has got a lot of good ideas,” he said.

“The team have really warmed to him, he’s fresh and he’s got that Aussie confidence. We all really believe in what he’s doing.

“He’s given licence to the whole squad, it’s not just me who can play football. We’ve got pace to burn in the back three. We are blessed with the back line we have and Danny Care at nine is nippy too.”

The nine-10 axis is crucial in any rugby match and Wasps star Cipriani and Care, from Harlequins, know each other well.

Cipriani explained: “I played with Danny when I was younger quite a bit. He takes a lot of pressure off the 10. He’s got a great pass.

“His step and go, his first 10 metres is electric, he’s going to have a chance to do his magic and there is a good sense of belief building.”

If Care gives Cipriani support from the left then on his right Wasps club-mate Riki Flutey, the New Zealander who qualifies through residency and is making his debut, could be the answer to the inside centre position which has been a problem since Will Greenwood retired.

As with the start of any new era there are lots of ‘ifs’ and ‘could bes’ but Johnson, as always, is determined to do it his way.

He has proved that by picking four new caps in Flutey, Delon Armitage, Ugo Monye and Nick Kennedy, plus New Zealander Dylan Hartley as reserve hooker.

It is Cipriani, however, who holds the key to whether it all works.