Nathan Earle admits Eddie Jones holds the key to his England ambitions – and has vowed to keep knocking at the door until he is given his chance to shine on the international stage.
The 24-year-old Harlequins winger has been one of the in-form players in the Gallagher Premiership this season, scoring six tries to help push his club into the top four.
But despite being picked for previous England squads, Earle has yet to win his first cap for his country and has been left out 36-man strong party for the start of the Six Nations.
And while Hong Kong-born Earle was gutted not to be included, he is refusing to give up on his bid to convince the England head coach to select him later in the championship.
“I’m obviously disappointed not to be in the squad,” said Earle, who joined rugby fans in Twickenham to tackle some of the most memorable last-minute sporting moments over a cold pint of Greene King IPA ahead of the Six Nations.
“I feel I’m one of the in-form wingers in the Premiership at the moment and have done everything I can to get picked. If Eddie doesn’t think I’m good enough then obviously that’s his opinion.
“He’s the man that holds all of the cards and clearly I’ve still got stuff to work on in his eyes. I’m going to go away and do that and hopefully I can twist his arm and get selected again.
“You always get feedback, he’s got an expectation for his wingers to be the best finishers, the best at taking high balls and the best defenders in the world.
“If you’re doing those three things really well then he’s got no reason not to pick you, but there’s obviously something lacking at the moment which I’m trying to bring to my game.
“We’ll just have to see and fingers crossed I can hopefully play a part later in the Six Nations or hopefully be involved going into the Rugby World Cup.
“I have been in five or six squads now and I’m still waiting on getting that first cap. I’ve been so close so many times, so I’m hungrier than ever really as I feel I am ready.”
Earle was joined at The George pub in Twickenham by fellow Harlequins teammates Tim Visser and Mat Luamanu to help launch Greene King’s The Last Drop Out promotion.
Customers handed the last pint of the barrel will receive a golden ticket which has a range of prizes within – from a free pint of Greene King IPA to tickets to the Rugby World Cup.
Time is running out for Earle to force his way into contention for Japan – and the former Saracens winger insists his first priority is continuing to perform for his club week-in, week-out.
“If you threw me in then I don’t think I would disappoint but my focus is solely on Quins, I’m playing well,” he said.
“Even I know I’ve not got any international experience so the World Cup is a stretch.
“If I do get that opportunity then it would be brilliant, but I’m not holding my breath for it. I’m just concentrating on Quins and hopefully we can do special things this year as a group.
“The England squad is incredibly competitive and the back three is one of the more competitive positions. You have world class quality across the board.
“Anthony Watson has been out and he’s going to be fit in time for the World Cup and you’d be short-sighted not to take him, while Joe Cokanasiga has come through and been brilliant.
“You’ve also already got Jonny May, Elliot Daly, Jack Nowell and Mike Brown involved as well, so it’s a hotly contested group and it’s not the easiest thing to put yourself above the others.
“Everyone is trying to better each other and I think it creates a good environment. It’s competitive but we’re all still mates at the end of the day.”
Harlequins stars joined rugby fans to tackle some of the most memorable sporting moments over a cold pint of Greene King IPA. Follow @GreeneKingIPA #TheLastDropOut for more information
