ENGLAND target Ben Te’o will set pulses racing on and off the pitch at Worcester Warriors next season, according to wing Cooper Vuna.

The two grew up in Auckland together and had rugby league trials with New Zealand Warriors before Te’o eventually headed to Australia.

Vuna believes 29-year-old Te’o will bring “a different game” to Sixways when he arrives in the summer after two seasons with Irish outfit Leinster.

And Vuna, who was Warriors’ leading try-scorer with nine Aviva Premiership touchdowns, revealed he gave advice to Te'o before the centre put pen to paper.

“I grew up with Benny in Auckland,” recalled Vuna, a former Australia rugby union and Tonga rugby league international.

“We both went to under 13 open rugby league trials and I got picked up to play for New Zealand Warriors.

“We grew up playing for Auckland and we got to know each other a bit more before we then played in the NRL (National Rugby League) together.

“We split up when I went with the Warriors to NRL and he went to Australia to try over there.

“But we are pretty tight and we know each other inside and out and I think it will be an easier transition for Benny to come in.”

Te’o made a huge impact in rugby league with Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League competition.

He represented Samoa at international level and Queensland in the State of Origin series before switching to union with Leinster two seasons ago.

Te’o has scored twice in 25 appearances this term for Leinster in the Guinness PRO 12 and European Champions Cup.

The powerful centre qualifies to play union for England and is already on the radar of head coach Eddie Jones who is considering picking him for the tour of Australia this summer.

“Benny has a different game on him – he can take it to another level – and is a big man who can play as a second prop in league,” said Vuna.

“He can move around freely and he has a lot of speed about him and if he goes on a break he is hard to stop.

“Benny did ask me for advice at the start of the process when he was in talks with Warriors and I knew Worcester was going to be a good move for him.

“I told him ‘you are going to bounce around from club to club because you are not going to fit in but you will settle at Worcester Warriors’”.

“When I came to Worcester I had the same thing in my mind because I thought that I might be here for just the end of the Championship season and then I would have to find somewhere else.

“But I told him that Dean Ryan made everything really welcoming for me and it would be the same for him.

“The game and the lifestyle is great. Worcester is a bit different from being a big city but I told him he could adapt to it.

“I also told him it’s an awesome bunch of lads to be with and nobody is old – only Wynand (Olivier), Donncha (O’Callaghan) and Dows (Phil Dowson) are over the age of 28 and everyone is still on the same level.”

Vuna admits losing powerful centre Andy Symons to London Irish was a big blow but said Te’o, Olivier, Jackson Willison and Ryan Mills would form exciting partnerships.

“I can’t wait to run out with Benny because it will be a good reunion from quite a long time ago,” he said.

“He’s a single lad and he will enjoy himself when he gets here.

“Benny has always lived in the big smoke but I am always having barbecues at my place – we are close group – and he will fit in very well.”