England prop Matt Stevens admits it is a dream come true to be back in the international fold but the 28-year-old isn’t about to settle for that, insisting a seat on the plane to New Zealand is his sole objective.
The Durban-born Saracens man, who can play either side of the scrum, was selected as part of England’s 45-man Word Cup training squad last month.
Stevens won the last of his 32 England caps in 2008 before his career was sent into a tailspin following a positive drugs test and a subsequent two-year ban.
And with Andrew Sheridan, Dan Cole and more recently Alex Corbisiero all shining in his absence Stevens knows he has his work cut out for him to make Martin Johnson’s final 30-man squad.
“First and foremost, I’m glad to be back in the party and back with the guys alongside whom I have played so much rugby in the past,” said Stevens, who was part of the England squad that lost in the 2007 World Cup Final.
“To spend two years away from the game you love playing is difficult. However, I’m not going to settle for this. I want to earn a place at the World Cup and prove that I still have a great deal to offer.
“The training schedule has been particularly tough over the past few days and it’s going to get even tougher. It’s quite clear from what I’ve seen this week, that the coaches are stepping up the training in preparation for the warm-up games next month.
“I think the good thing at present is that the coaches have made it clear that every position is up for grabs. There are no guarantees.It’s up to the players to push themselves into the frame and make sure that when the plane leaves, they’re on it.
“I think the warm-up games will be key and, to be honest, we have already started speaking about Wales in terms of our training patterns.”
