British & Irish Lions flyer Anthony Watson is reluctant to sit out any of England’s upcoming autumn internationals due to fierce competition for places within the squad.
England head coach Eddie Jones has spoken previously about his plans to rest players who toured with the Lions – 16 in all – during the autumn internationals to ensure fitness for the rest of the international calendar. 23-year-old Watson started all three tests for the Lions over the summer, but missed a whole host of England matches last season due to injury, meaning he hopes to be as involved as possible in November. “I can fully understand it [plans to rest England players in November],” said Watson. “The seasons are tough in how many games you play, it’s very tough mentally and physically. “I can fully understand where Eddie’s coming from, but for me personally, having missed so many internationals last year I wouldn’t want to miss any if the chance came around. “You have to still look over your shoulder, there are so many world-class wingers in the Premiership. “The boys who went to Argentina – Marland [Yarde], Denny [Solomona], Jonny [May] – they were outstanding.
“So we have to come back hungry and fighting for our place. “I had a one-to-one meeting with Eddie [Jones] at the Lensbury, he still wants me to improve on my speed so I’ll keep on doing that.” For anyone who watched the Bath winger during the successful drawn test series in New Zealand it comes as a surprise that Watson has been asked to work on his pace, but his boss is clearly a tough man to please. And Watson believes that Jones’ side will benefit from the confidence gained by the English Lions, and have learned to spot weaknesses in the world’s top-ranked team, New Zealand. “I think the Lions can give us a lot of confidence for sure,” said the former London Irish back. “There were a lot of England players in that team and in the squad. “Even just being around the environment you definitely learn a lot and that will give the boys confidence. “They [New Zealand] have definitely been put up on a pedestal for a while now, so I think it has helped to bring them back down a little bit and make you realise they are mere mortals.”