Dave Strettle will complete his jet-heeled rise from England Counties to full cap tomorrow with his house-mate backing him to turn on the gas at Croke Park.

Two years ago the then unknown Rotherham winger was lining up to play for the England Counties side who tonight play Ireland Clubs XV at Donnybrook, Dublin (7.05pm).

Now, the 23-year-old from Warrington will make his England debut in place of the injured Jason Robinson for the RBS 6 Nations clash against Ireland.

It completes a remarkable rise to the spotlight, to the delight of NEC Harlequins colleague and house-mate Danny Care, who leads England U20s against Ireland in Athlone tonight.

"Stretts is one of those people who will get on with it whatever the situation," said Care. "I remember when he came to the Sevens and made his debut with me last year - he scored five tries in the first half against Papua New Guinea in Wellington. He is one of the best wingers in the Guinness Premiership and I'm really pleased for him.

"He'll be nervous but that is a good thing for anybody going into such a big game. Jason Robinson is one of the those people he has looked up to and he'll want to go out and show people what he can do. Some people might say Croke Park is not the easiest place to make your England debut but this will only spur Stretts on to do better."

Strettle himself is taking it in his stride, saying: " Playing for my club, the England Sevens team and the Saxons has played a big part in me getting into the England squad and now making my debut tomorrow. I see all of those experiences as part of the build up to the really big days and Saturday is definitely one of those.

"I really enjoyed my experience with the sevens squad and I worked and played with some superb players as a result. My aim in my playing career has always been to keep my head down, work hard and hope that things like making my debut for England on Saturday happen. I have never raised my expectation levels too high because sometimes you can be disappointed."

He added, "It has been absolutely brilliant coming into the England squad - so many of whom I have watched on television - and i have been made to feel very welcome. They are the best players at the moment that England has to offer and it is great to be part of it, and what I hope will be a great occasion tomorrow."

Strettle is a great illustration of the RFU's Elite Player pathway.

Although his rugby career started at university rather than with representative rugby, Strettle went on to play for the England Counties before being selected for the England Sevens squad last season and England Saxons only last month.

He made his England Sevens debut in record breaking style when he scored five tries in one half against Papua New Guinea in Wellington (February 2006). He is still England Sevens' leading try scorer in a match. He narrowly missed selection for the Commonwealth Games but was recalled for England's historic fourth successive win at the Hong Kong Sevens in April last year.

England Sevens Coach Ben Ryan, who was also his coach for the England Counties, said, "It's great to see David's involvement in the senior squad after graduating through the England Counties and England Sevens set ups. David followed the likes of Shaun Perry, Jason Oakes and Dean Schofield from Counties to the premiership and players like Ben Foden, who have also played counties, sevens and now premiership.

"I have never coached David at sevens but have witnessed his outstanding performances whilst on duty for the sevens side and its brilliant to see the positive effect both representative sides, particularly the sevens have had in helping to develop him from a National One player at Rotherham to the verge of an England Senior cap in under 12 months. What a fantastic achievement for the player and the processes he has been part of."

Ryan added, "David's selection means that seven of the 22 playing for England tomorrow at Croke Park have played for the England Sevens team (Lewsey, Strettle, Ellis, Lund, Worsley, Rees and Tait) . David is a fantastic example of how playing England Sevens helps develop young players, and just as it worked so successfully for Mathew Tait, it has helped improve David as a player with both his core skills and his experience. I wish all the players the best of luck tomorrow."

Following on from his sevens' success, Strette was selected for the England Saxons squad for the recent Six Nations matches against Ireland and Italy. Strettle played in both matches and scored against Ireland.

Said Jim Mallinder, National Academy and England Saxons Coach: "David has been a stand out player for England Saxons this year. He's looked dangerous every time he got the ball and has set up and scored some fantastic tries for us, just as he has done for his club this season.

"We've definitely seen big improvements in his game since he's been with Quins. His general play good. He's a great defensive player, he's solid under the high ball and he is a lethal counter attacker."

Strettle moved from the first division to NEC Harlequins last summer, and has only made 14 appearances for the club but has already scored nine tries . He studied sports science at Sheffield Hallam University before signing for Rotherham. He had previously played rugby league as well as football and had trials with Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra, Everton and Liverpool. He first played rugby league aged five and only switched codes to union when he joined Lymm High School (Cheshire).

England team to face Ireland in tomorrow's RBS 6 Nations match at Croke Park:
15 Olly Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
14 Josh Lewsey (London Wasps)
13 Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby
12 Andy Farrell (Saracens
11 David Strettle (NEC Harlequins)
10 Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons)
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
1 Perry Freshwater (Perpignan
2 George Chuter (Leicester Tigers
3 Phil Vickery (capt, London Wasps)
4 Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
5 Danny Grewcock (Bath Rugby)
6 Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
7 Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks)
8 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers)
Replacements
16 Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
17 Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
18 Tom Palmer (London Wasps)
19 Tom Rees (London Wasps)
20 Shaun Perry (Bristol Rugby)
21 Toby Flood (Newcastle Falcons)
22 Mathew Tait (Newcastle Falcons)