Northampton back George Hendy says he is determined to force his way into England contention as the autumn internationals approach. England boss Steve Borthwick will name a training squad on Sunday ahead of the November leg of the Nations Championship. Borthwick's side recovered from a chastening Six Nations to win two of their three summer matches, and now welcome Australia, Japan and New Zealand to London before the finals weekend at the end of the month.
A genuine talent with the ball in hand, Hendy says he has been working hard on all parts of his game after conversations with the England management. "I've known for a while what my work-ons are and it feels like the penny's finally dropping," he said. "I think my USP is being able to beat defenders and being able to finish tries. And just because I'm working on other things doesn't mean I stop working on that."
Hendy says he is inspired by the example of his Northampton team-mates, with Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman, Alex Coles, Alex Mitchell, Henry Pollock and Fraser Dingwall among those to become England stalwarts. "That makes me want it even more, seeing your mates going and putting on an England shirt," Hendy said. "I know that with them in camp, it'll be a good environment. I'll know who I can rely on."
His motivation is simple. "I just don't want to die wondering," he added. "But it's one of those where you don't know until you get given the opportunity whether you can or you can't. So I'm just going to keep putting my best foot forward here."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing