Solomona insists he has learnt his lesson
DENNY Solomona is determined to win back his spot in the England team following his unceremonious departure from their recent training camp.
Along with Manu Tuilagi, the Sale Sharks star was sent home early from the three-day pre-season camp in Teddington three weeks ago for what the RFU said were ‘team culture issues’ which were understood to be alcoholrelated.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, the 23-year-old rugby league convert says he has learnt his lesson and will heed the advice of England coach Eddie Jones.
Said Solomona: “He’s just said to train harder and play harder and that’s what I’ll do. I need to do what he says. That’s the only way I’ll achieve what I want to achieve.
“By training hard, I’ll improve and I’ll learn a lot more. And in the game I’ll go as hard as I can and give everything I’ve got in every single match.
“I’m hungry for it. I’m eager for it and I’m only going to train harder and play as good as I can to let my rugby do my talking
“What happened was out of character, it was definitely a mistake on my behalf. I’ll cop that on the chin and I’ll work harder to get back.
“I put that person behind me a long time ago.”
Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond says the matter has been handled by England and is backing the former Castleford winger to add to the two caps won on England’s summer tour to Argentina when they host the autumn internationals.
“It’s been dealt with,” Diamond said. “When you’re representing England you’ve got to keep your guard up, you can’t afford to make those errors.
“Certainly when someone like Eddie (Jones) is looking after the shop, discipline is part of the culture. Eddie’s one of the best coaches in the world and he knows what young lads get up to some of the time. A rap on the knuckles goes a long way.
“Denny was unfortunate, he probably did something out of character and he’s paid the price by having a b ******** g from Eddie. What he’s got to do is jump back on the horse and play well again.
“No one is disputing his ability on the field. I think it was a momentary lapse of concentration for him.
“As long as I’ve known him - and it’s getting on for 12 months now - he’s been an exception at training. He’s not a drinker and he abides by the rules.
“He’s done what a young lad does occasionally.”