England flanker Mark Wilson still believes he has a huge amount of work to do to make it to the ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity of a Rugby World Cup.

The 2019 edition of the global event takes place in Japan in September with Wilson a likely candidate to lead the England charge given the 12 months he’s had on the international scene.

Wilson won his first two caps on the summer tour to Argentina in 2017 but then found himself out of Eddie Jones’ plans for almost 12 months before the June 2018 trip to South Africa.

The tireless 29-year-old impressed against the Springboks, so much so that he started all four November Tests and then featured in all five of England’s Six Nations games, earning even more plaudits.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last year and as a team we’ve really grown, to have played my part has been brilliant, I’ve really enjoyed it and I’ve learnt so much,” said Wilson, who was speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session with Darlington Mowden Park U18s, after their girls side won a nationwide competition launched by Gallagher.

“To be part of that progression as a team has been brilliant, hopefully we can keep making those progressions ahead of the World Cup, it’s an exciting few months for us as an England team.

“Going to a World Cup can be a once in a lifetime opportunity but there’s a lot of work to be done between then and now, it’s important that us as players put ourselves in the best possible position to go there.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re improving as players but also physically that we’re right for a challenging few months.”

Wilson will be aiming to make selection in the back row but another area of the England squad that is still very much up in the air is at fly-half, according to the flanker’s Newcastle Falcons teammate Toby Flood.

Flood, who has 60 caps to his name, is now likely out of the international reckoning at the age of 33 but thinks there are still plenty of twists and turns for the England No.10 shirt ahead of the World Cup in September.

Over the last 12 months Saracens stalwart Owen Farrell has taken a firm grip of the England fly-half shirt but Flood is pleased to see that Red Rose head coach Eddie Jones has a range of options to choose from.

“I think George Ford has been playing really well and he’s led Leicester well the last three or four weeks when his team have been struggling,” Flood commented.

“I think Owen (Farrell) is still rightly No.1 but what happens there when they want to go to a two-playmaker route, I don’t know.

“I think Danny Cipriani has been playing really well as well but for whatever reason he doesn’t suit Eddie Jones in the mentality or there’s a clash of personnel or character, I’ve got no idea really but he’s certainly doing as much as he can to put his hand up, which is what you want to do.

“There’s also Marcus Smith floating around as well and he’s been involved in a couple of squads and again is someone who could be a curveball if they want to expose him to a World Cup early.”

  • Wilson and Flood were speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session with Darlington Mowden Park U18s, after their girls side won a nationwide competition launched by Gallagher, a passionate community insurance broker and proud title partner of Premiership Rugby.