Lance battling to build his case for Wallabies recall
FIRED-UP Aussie flyhalf Jono Lance has vowed to haul Worcester off the foot of the Premiership before heading home to fight for a Wallabies place.
Lance, the son of former Rugby League star and Leeds Rhinos head coach Dean Lance, was a victim of the Western Force’s demise in August and is currently on a short-term deal with Warriors as they look to fight their way out of relegation trouble.
The 27-year-old came close to a first Australia cap last year before injury intervened and believes his three-month stay in England can boost his Test chances. Lance told The Rugby
Paper: “I was on the bench for one game but the next week I broke my arm and that was my chance gone at the time. But I know I was close and my aim now is to get back into that Wallabies set-up and push for a World Cup spot.
“There are opportunities if you’re playing well and one of the main reasons for grabbing this opportunity with Worcester is that it’s giving me a chance to meet new people, play under different coaches and gain new ideas on how to play rugby.
“It was a really tough year at the Force with all the stuff going on there, but rugby is thriving in England and playing in the Premiership will help me. It’s been mentally refreshing and, hopefully, I’ll go back into Super Rugby next year a better player.”
Melbourne Rebels are being mooted as a destination, but Lance added: “Nothing’s been announced yet so I can’t say too much more on that. My aim right now is to help put Worcester in a good position where they can kick on by winning games.”
Despite losing all seven league matches to date amid the doom and gloom of takeover talk, Lance believes Warriors showed enough in last week’s battling 41-35 defeat at Harlequins to suggest they can secure enough wins to beat the dreaded drop.
Lance, who played a starring role at the Stoop, said: “To score six tries and lose was hard to take but I’m definitely excited about the quality of backs Worcester have.
“A lot of tries came off the back of really good phase play so there’s a lot to build on.
“There’s a bit of off-field stuff going on and having come from a position at the Force that was pretty grim, I know how much that can affect people. But we’re determined not to let that affect us and we haven’t read too much into all that.
“If I can leave Worcester having helped us win two or three games and where relegation is not even entering the conversation, I’ll have done my job.”
Lance will lead by example, adding: “I’m quite a physical player in how I go about defence and taking the line on, and when you’re only here for three months you need to lay it all out there to gain the trust of the others quickly.
“For me it’s about being physical in training and games and putting my body on the line so they know I’m giving my best to get the wins we need. The Premiership is the best league in the world and I’m determined to make a mark.”