England call caps stellar six months for injury-stricken Warrior Spencer

ENGLAND new boy Will Spencer has revealed how close he came to quitting rugby before battling back from a trio of shoulder dislocations to win a Red Rose call-up.

Spencer, below, is on standby for England’s Test series in Argentina, having been summoned by head coach Eddie Jones for last week’s three-day conditioning camp.

The 24-year-old enforcer could now feature against the Barbarians at Twickenham later this month – a scenario he admits he could never have envisaged when opting to take six months out of the game before joining Worcester from Bath last summer.

Spencer, whose injury problems began in 2014 after a successful loan year at London Welsh, said: “If you’d said to me last December when I was waiting to play my first game for Worcester that in five months’ time I’d finish the season by playing every game and then be on England’s radar, it would just have been a pipe dream. “I’d been close to finishing at Bath. It got to the point with my shoulder issues where I’d fallen out of love with rugby and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. “It was a very dark time. I’d dislocated my shoulder three times and had a major operation with a recovery that wasn’t straightforward, so I needed a break and the best thing I did was taking time off between December 2015 and arriving at Worcester.

“I wasn’t myself during that tough period at Bath and in the back of my mind I thought I might be one of those guys who didn’t get a chance to fulfil their potential. But I regrouped, did all my rehab and just got stuck in to life at Worcester.”

Spencer can now dream of a first England cap, adding: “To be involved in the first camp of the summer felt a bit crazy but there are a few more to come and if I get a chance to be involved against the Barbarians I’ll try to grab it with both hands.

“If it doesn’t happen for me this time, I’ll still be happy with the season I’ve had and will look to push on further when we kick-off again in September.

“It reflects well on Worcester that three of us got called up and I’m sure Nick Schonert will get involved as well once his hand injury heals up.”