Palmer back on double mission with the French

Of the many ups and downs the 31-year-old has experienced in his 14-year professional career, this current phase is an undoubted high.

Since leaving Leeds where he gained a substantial grounding, Palmer has won the Heineken Cup with Wasps and joined the cross-channel exodus from the Premiership.

He returns home on Sunday with Stade Francais, a giant of French rugby who have fallen on hard times – or rather, their Heineken Cup status that they once threw money at to attain has been denied them after a poor campaign last term.

While his move from London to Paris in the summer of 2009 has not yet yielded the anticipated trophies, it has helped him re-establish his place in England's elite squad, a timely return given that the World Cup kicks-off in 11 months' time.

"I'm very pleased with how it's all worked out for me," said the England lock from his home in the Parisian suburbs.

"But in this game it's the old cliche of taking it one game at a time.

"You never know what's going to happen, especially with the way my career has gone with being in and out with injuries.

"I never take anything for granted."

It is an ethos that has served Palmer well in his distinguished career and one he has no desire to dispose of now.

He and his Stade Francais team-mates are favourites to take the points at Headingley Carnegie on Sunday, but having kept a keen eye on developments at the club he played for from 1997 to 2006, he is not expecting an easy ride.

"I was really pleased that Leeds rallied at the end of last season to keep themselves in the Premiership," said Palmer, who was part of the Leeds team that enjoyed their only foray into the Heineken Cup in 2003-04.

"It reminded me a lot of what we did in 2005 (winning the Powergen Cup) and showed that the spirit within the club is still strong.

"They've had a slow start this year but, hopefully, they'll pick up.

"There was a lot of talk about reaching the Heineken Cup but with the start they have made that will be difficult.

"In the future, getting back there is achievable. Leeds can definitely be a top-six side.

"The big challenge will always be getting the spectators on side.

"It's a chicken and egg situation. Success on the field helps bring in the money, but in rugby nowadays, you need money to give you a better chance of success.

"It is possible for one or two exceptions to break the norm, but whether in England or France you have to be able to compete financially."

The weakness of the pound against the euro helped French clubs with no salary cap plunder the pick of the English players 18 months ago.

But since arriving at Stade alongside fellow England forward James Haskell, the Stade well has begun to run dry.

As Leeds have discovered, they have found that failing to qualify for the Heineken Cup can have a detrimental effect on a club's income, and, therefore, expectations.

"Throughout the last decade Stade have been the big spenders," said Palmer.

"We've now been overtaken by the likes of Toulon and Racing Metro.

"We've had to make cutbacks to our squad because in dropping out of the Heineken Cup we lost a bit of sponsorship.

"That's why we are taking the Challenge Cup so seriously – it's a route back into the Heineken Cup. And for team building it's important to go into every game wanting to win."

On a personal level, Sunday's game not only offers a chance to hook up with Leeds old boys Kearnan Myall, Danny Paul and Lee Blackett, but the opportunity to give the England management team an indication of his form.

Palmer reports for England training on October 24 ahead of the Autumn Internationals and admitted leaving the Premiership was tantamount to gambling with his international future.

"It was a worry when I moved out here. The coaches have always said they're watching

the games but you can never be sure of anything," said Palmer, who became Leeds's first England international in 2001 but who has won only 12 caps since.

"But I got a chance in the last game of the Six Nations and, fortunately, I took it.

"It's good to be back and I'd love to be in the World Cup squad, especially having come so close but not making the final 36 in 2007.

"That was very disappointing for me at the time and is what drives me now.

"Playing Leeds on Sunday is a good game for me to try and impress the England coaches."