Chris Robshaw says “tough experiences” when captain of England at the 2015 World Cup make him even more determined to seal his spot in Eddie Jones’s squad for next year’s tournament in Japan.
Competition for places in England’s back row is fierce, with Robshaw the most experienced operator in that department.
However, he is missing this autumn campaign following knee surgery, allowing others to put their case forward. Mark Wilson was man of the match in the campaign opener against South Africa last week.
Robshaw would rather have spent Monday recovering from England’s bruising win over the Springboks.
Instead, he was at Battersea Park’s Peace Pagoda taking on “Tashiro”, one of Japan’s heaviest sumo stars, to promote the ticket ballot for next summer’s World Cup, which closes on Monday.
“I think those tough experiences and things not going to plan at the last World Cup, I definitely want to have another shot at it,” he told Standard Sport. “It is a brilliant tournament and all players want to play in it.
“There is plenty of rugby still to happen before then but everyone is aware that the World Cup is happening, so you want to be playing well and putting your best foot forward to try to be there. Whenever you are injured and not playing, that is always the tough bit. You do all your rehab, weights and conditioning, but the enjoyable bit of being a rugby player is being out there training and then playing on the weekends, so you have to work extra hard to get back out there.”
While Robshaw believes England’s win over South Africa was vital, he does not believe people should read too much into it ahead of the World Cup because of the tournament’s uniqueness.
“I think winning is always important, in all series and games you play,” he said. “It becomes a habit and a brilliant feeling in camp. However, the World Cup is its own tournament and anything can happen.”
The Rugby World Cup 2019 ticket ballot closes at 14.59 (GMT) on Monday 12 November 2018. Fans can double their chances of securing tickets by using a Mastercard at www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets
