It was Israel Folau who persuaded Ben Te’o to take a chance in rugby union. The Wallaby full-back and England’s latest international centre were sharing a flat in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when Te’o asked for some advice on what he should do next. Without Folau’s encouragement, his flatmate might never have switched codes let alone completed his improbable sporting journey from the village of Silverdale in New Zealand’s north island to the home dressing room at Twickenham.

The 29-year-old, who earned his first cap against South Africa as a late replacement, has certainly travelled a long, unconventional road to reach England’s midfield. His mother is English but emigrated from Manor Park in east London to New Zealand in her teens. Her son played age-group union for North Harbour but ended up enjoying a decade-long career in the National Rugby League, playing for Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs as well as Samoa’s national team. He was a part of Souths’ trophy‑winning season in 2014 but had already found himself wondering if there was more to life than rugby league.

“It was probably more to do with the fact I was living with Israel Folau at the time. I was at Souths and he was at the Waratahs and we were living in Kensington. Obviously my time in rugby league was fun but I was looking for something else. I was feeling a bit stale and asking myself some questions – Would I have made it had I stayed in union? Would I have been a good player? – which I bounced off him. I said: ‘I’m 27, do you think it’s too late?’ He said: ‘No, no it’s not too late.’ I asked if he thought I would be all right or would it be too hard? He was saying: ‘No I think you can do it.’ He gave me a lot of confidence to give it a go.”

Folau’s instincts were to be proved correct, albeit after a shaky start when Te’o broke an arm on his debut for Leinster having been persuaded to move to Ireland by another Australian, Matt O’Connor. He decided to persevere – “I left the door open when I first came because I didn’t know if I had left it too late” – and was further encouraged by the vivid spectacles he witnessed at last year’s World Cup. “I watched every game and really enjoyed it as a spectator. There was no way I was going back then.”

In a further twist of fate yet another Australian, Eddie Jones, took over as England head coach and encouraged him to relocate from Ireland to play in the Premiership with Worcester. Before he had even made his Warriors debut he found himself picked on England’s summer tour back to Australia, the ultimate boomerang selection. A niggling injury ruled him out of Test consideration but Jones had seen enough. When it came to identifying a hard-running, strong inside-centre option as backup to Owen Farrell against the Springboks, Te’o earned the nod.

This autumn is set to offer further opportunities to show he has adapted to the specific requirements of union: “State of Origin is warfare. It is very physical, it goes in a blur. I wouldn’t have passed a lot in my league days.” Despite not having grown up in England there was always a part of him that fancied travelling. “With my mum being British I always knew I had this passport. When the opportunity came to give this environment a go it was something I really wanted to do. I feel like I’m on a second career.”

The next step will be to establish himself at Test level ahead of a clutch of younger rivals unimpressed at being leapfrogged by a southern hemisphere blow-in. Te’o, though, is both a likeable sort and a hard worker; his travels have also taught him that growing up in New Zealand offers some advantages. “I think kids play with a lot more freedom at a young age in New Zealand and Australia. They get more of an opportunity to express themselves. From what I’ve seen in Ireland and over here sides can be very robotic at a young age. They are taught a lot about the set‑piece and about how many guys should be in a ruck, whereas in New Zealand it is a lot more unstructured.”

His words should be heeded by absolutely everyone connected with junior coaching in Britain and Ireland. Te’o, in the meantime, is desperate to do his mum proud. “Hopefully she’ll get over at some stage to watch me. I know she’s proud and I’m proud of myself as well. It is an achievement for me just to be here.”