Eddie Jones insists the prize of a second chance could propel James Haskell back into the England team for their NatWest 6 Nations title defence.
The openside position is shrouded in uncertainty at the moment with Tom Curry ruled out until late March by a fractured wrist and Sam Underhill yet to play since being concussed against Australia in the autumn.
Haskell was a permanent fixture in the back row for Jones’ first year in charge before a toe injury resulted in a slump in form and his last England appearance was against Ireland last March.
“Every game he’s played for Wasps he’s got a little bit better. He trained well this week, showed plenty of energy,” said Jones, speaking at the squad’s two-day camp in Brighton.
? First training session of 2018…#CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/mNlGAeOj8U
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 2, 2018
“Sometimes the second chance is something that creates a bit of momentum in the player, so we’ll wait and see how he gets on.”
A date for Underhill’s return has yet to be set due to the persistent symptoms he has been suffering since being knocked out against the Wallabies.
“It’s ongoing return to play for concussion. You never know – he could be right tomorrow,” Jones said.
“Rugby treats these things seriously, which it should. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“We’ve got plenty of options at seven. We have Haskell and Gary Graham, who has impressed at this camp.
“We can always push Chris Robshaw across if we need to. We’re not short of options.”
“Manu is a guy we’ve continually got our eye on. I went to watch him play for Leicester specifically on Sunday. He’s got some work to do,” Jones said.
“We’ve worked with Leicester and he just needs some good training time and game time. Then we’ll appraise him.”
