Tom Wood has revealed that he was dropped from the England squad after Eddie Jones described him as “distinctly average” in a blunt telephone conversation before the RBS Six Nations Championship.
The Northampton Saints forward — whose club-mate, Courtney Lawes, was last night ruled out of England’s game against Wales with an ankle injury and was immediately replaced by Ed Slater, of Leicester — has won 42 caps and he was the first-choice blind-side flanker under Stuart Lancaster, but Jones told him his workrate was not good enough.
Wood challenged the head coach’s assessment of his performances and then vowed to force his way back into the England reckoning for the summer tour of Australia.
“He said that what he had seen from me hadn’t been good enough,” said Wood. “He said it had been distinctly average, if I remember the exact phrase, and that what he’s looking for from his No 6 is a world-class workrate, and he didn’t see it in me.
“It did come as a surprise and my initial reaction was to be aggressive back and to confront that. It dawned on me that he was probably doing it for a reason and he’s done it to others. I hope he has got a master plan and he is playing the game.
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“I did question it. I did say to him that I did not take criticism lightly and I don’t agree with that, but I can see I am not going to change your mind on the phone right now so I have to get back playing, string some games together and prove my case. That is what I have set about doing.”
Wood was highly influential as Northampton Saints defeated Saracens, the Aviva Premiership leaders, 20-15 on Saturday and he believes a break from the furnace of international rugby could help him in the long term, particularly as this season began with England’s World Cup training camp in June.
“I try to be a realist about it all,” he said. “I am not entitled to [be in the England squad]. I’ve got to earn it all over again with a fresh set of coaches and management. The only way I can do that is by putting in performances week in and week out and trying to show the right things.
“I have been at the coalface with England for a number of years and it is a white-hot, intense environment. I have been able to step back from that and re-evaluate things, enjoy some family time and play club rugby where you know where you are week in, week out, out of the intensity a little bit. It has allowed me to enjoy it and I hope to use that as a springboard.”
Lawes, who was dropped by England ahead of the Ireland game only to be recalled on the bench when Joe Launchbury damaged a hamstring, had to be helped from the field at Allianz Park after twisting an ankle.
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While Lawes battles for fitness and Wood strives for a recall, Jonathan Joseph said those World Cup veterans still in the squad are driven by the prospect of redemption as they prepare to face Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
England have finished runners-up in the Six Nations for four consecutive years and Joseph said those disappointing near-misses, coupled with the hurt of defeat by Wales in the World Cup in September, make them a more dangerous outfit.
Joseph, a tryscorer in England’s victory over Wales in last year’s Six Nations, was injured for the World Cup encounter and had to watch from the stands as the horror unfolded.
“Each individual that was involved in that World Cup campaign will look back and it will hurt them massively,” he said.
“That will be a driving factor inside of everyone. The last ten minutes were horrible to watch. It was obviously not a great time for all of us.
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“We’ve had a lot of disappointment, a lot of setbacks, that’s hurt us as a team. We know what it feels like to not quite get there.
“Last Six Nations we didn’t quite make it and the World Cup was obviously not great for us. Everyone knows in their own mind that we don’t want to feel like that again.
“I think it’s good for us. I think we’ve grown from that. I think it’s good to have that inside, that extra little driving factor to spur us on.”
