Tuesday 1 November 2016 22:50, UK
Tom Wood says he is determined to make the most of the opportunity he has been given to resurrect his England career.
The 29-year-old Northampton skipper was a regular for his country under the Stuart Lancaster regime but was axed by new coach Eddie Jones after England flopped at last year's World Cup.
Wood has continued to perform well for Saints and, with England short of back row options due to injury, he has been recalled to the squad for the autumn internationals.
He will get his first opportunity to add to his 42 caps when South Africa visit Twickenham Stadium on November 12.
"I always had it in the back of mind that I wanted to be back here at some point," said Wood, who has been training in the Algarve with England.
"I knew it may take an injury or 10 to get me here, but that's the nature of the game.
"If and when I eventually finish with England, it would be nice to finish on a high. [The World Cup] was an incredibly disappointing moment in time but, as a professional rugby player, I don't dwell on it from day to day.
"I played for Northampton the following week. I've got a full season under my belt since then and you move on.
"I'll always wish that things had been different at that World Cup and that we were more successful, but that's true of every game I lose."
Wood has a chance to start at open side against the Springboks, although it was the uncapped Nathan Hughes who trained alongside Chris Robshaw and Billy Vunipola during Tuesday's training session in Vilamoura.
He said encouraging words from Jones have kept him going during his time out of the international set-up
"Eddie has been in fairly regular contact, giving me a few pointers and touching base now and again to let me know the door has never been closed, so that has been good for me morale-wise to keep pushing," Wood said.
"I was always pretty philosophical about the whole thing. I never got too worked up about it, I didn't throw my toys out of the pram.
"The reality was that I wasn't picked because what he had seen from me hadn't been good enough at that stage.
"The fact that he did touch base to let me know he was watching gave me that bit of encouragement that I wasn't too far away and that if a couple of injuries cropped up - which they inevitably do in the back row - then I was ready and waiting.
"The door is ajar for me now. I've got one foot through it but now I have to show what I am about in training.
"Sometimes you get a better feel for a person once you are in a camp like this and you are training and preparing.
"Hopefully, I can put my best foot forward and do myself justice and we'll see where it goes from there."
