Goode still has the ‘fire’ to fuel England recall
Alex Goode insists the “fire will never burn out” on his desire to play for his country again – despite admitting his last contact with England head coach Eddie Jones was almost two years ago.
Goode delivered what Saracens director of rugby Mark Mccall hailed as an “incredible” performance, scoring one try and creating two more in the eight-try victory over a Bath side who had fielded 13 changes.
The full-back says he has not spoken to Jones since taking a call explaining to him why he was no longer in the England squad in December 2016, a month after he had won the last of his 21 caps in the match against Fiji at Twickenham.
“He didn’t say too much,” Goode said. “He just said I wasn’t in the squad and he didn’t think I was playing at a good enough level and we had a chat and that was it really. I had to keep working hard and put my best foot forward. You can’t let it grind you down, otherwise it just takes over all your thinking.”
Yet clearly the 30-year-old has not given up hope of forcing his way into contention for a place in the England squad ahead of the World Cup in Japan next year.
“I always want to represent England, that fire will never burn out,” he added. “It is a privilege to do that. I am on the outside, but all I can do is keep working hard.
“I am motivated at this club to not let the guys down, to win medals, to win trophies and to be part of a great side and I am lucky I have great support from the coaches.”
Goode is clearly benefiting from a speed programme he undertook during pre-season, having been overlooked for England’s tour of South Africa in June.
“The last two years, having not been on tour, allowed me to have full pre-season, and in both years it has allowed me to work on my leg speed, power and acceleration through contact,” he added.
“I’m really happy, even at the tender age of 30, that I’m still getting improvements. The GPS says I’m quicker than ever.
“The big work-on was just trying to get that strength, speed, power, so that when I’m going through contact I’m explosive and I can get more out of my hips, glutes and hamstrings, and it’s had a massive effect.”
If Goode remains overlooked by England, Saracens are benefiting from his efforts. He carried the ball for 207 metres on Saturday and, with Saracens dominating the set piece, his speed and footwork proved too much for the inexperienced Bath back line.
Liam Williams was the main beneficiary, recording his second hattrick of the season, while Jamie George, Sean Maitland and Nick Tompkins went in as Saracens took their fifth successive maximum haul from the first five rounds, a Premiership record.
Owen Farrell also became the club’s top points scorer by landing five conversions, overtaking Glen Jackson’s previous record of 1,192. The victory came at a cost however, with club captain Brad Barritt suffering a deep cut to a cheek and he requires a scan to determine the damage.
Questions remain about Bath’s decision to effectively field a second-string side for what was a first v fourth contest. They scored tries by Tom Homer (two) and Chris Cook, but it never felt like the heavyweight contest is should have been.
“We came here to get a point,” said Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder. “We’ve got Exeter next Friday and we’ve got a massive month coming up as well.”