Solomona: I won’t take England for granted

DENNY Solomona says the next chance he gets to play for England will be one that he doesn’t take for granted.

The 25-year-old Sale Shark has thus far earned five caps for Eddie Jones’ England but none since his last appearance on the South Africa tour last summer.

The reference to taking things for granted is a curious admission when talking of playing for your country but is perhaps in reference to being sent home from a pre-season training camp alongside Manu Tuilagi in 2017, understood to be alcohol-related.

But that is some time ago now and England’s resurgence over the winter under Jones as well as the looming World Cup are clearly very present in Solomona’s mind.

“The Six Nations has been great and I think England played probably their best rugby against Ireland,” said the Sale wing, who was speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session at Lymm RFC after their U15s side won a nationwide competition launched by Gallagher.

“It definitely made me want to get back into the scene and into that environment Eddie Jones and those senior players – Owen Farrell, George Ford - have created for the team. I’m not taking my chance for granted anymore and when I get my chance to hopefully get back in there I won’t hold back this time.

“I’ll give everything I’ve got and just take every moment as it comes and learn.”

One man who has certainly taken his moment in this year’s Six Nations is Solomona’s Sale teammate Tom Curry, the 20-year-old flanker whose stock has risen immeasurably in recent weeks following barnstorming performances against Wales, France and Ireland.

“It’s great to have Tom (Curry) represent his country as well as Sale,” Solomona added. “Tom’s been great, Ashy’s (Chris Ashton) been great and unfortunately injured now but it is what it is. You get setbacks but I think he might be back sooner than he thought so it’ll be good.”