Legendary Lions coach Sir Ian McGecchan believes Kyle Eastmond could be the next Jason Robinson.
The former St Helens star swapped the Super League for the Aviva Premiership in the summer by joining McGeechan at Bath.
And now the man who led the Lions to South Africa two years ago is confident the 22-year-old can have just as big an impact in union as Billy Whizz.
"I'm very excited about Kyle. He could be the next Jason Robinson,” said McGeechan.
"He was an outstanding rugby league player. He's incredibly talented, he's young and has a lot to look forward to."
Having dabbled with union during a short spell at The Rec in 1996, Robinson switched to the 15-man code with Sale Sharks at 26-years-old and went on to establish himself as one of the game's great entertainers.
The former Great Britain rugby league regular won the World Cup with England in 2003 and starred in two Lions tours, winning five Lions caps in 2001 and 2005.
McGeechan foresees a similar future for Eastmond, who is nearing fitness following a groin injury and could be running out at The Rec in the next few weeks.
"He's now back to running fitness and is building up his training program. Obviously he needs to get an understanding of union but the potential is there," added McGeechan, who intends to start Eastmond a little further away from the action than he has been used to in league.
"We'll probably start him on the wing and then give him more responsibility as his understanding of the game grows. The exciting thing for me is you never quite know how it will evolve."
