Bath's Semesa Rokoduguni happy to wait for England chance
Thursday 16 March 2017 15:05, UK
Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni accepts it will be tough to win back a place in England's all-conquering squad.
Rokoduguni has not featured in Eddie Jones' plans since winning his second cap during the autumn internationals when he scored two tries against Fiji, his country of birth, in a man-of-the-match display at Twickenham.
The 29-year-old believes the performance levels of the current group shows just what is demanded to make a consistent impact on the international stage, as England target a record 19-match winning run and second successive Grand Slam glory in their Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
"Judging by the way England are playing, they all have the right mind set and are able keep applying pressure on teams," Rokoduguni said.
"All the boys are performing really well, even in my position, the wingers are all putting up a show, so it is quite tough for me to push myself back into the England squad, but I think it is a good environment if you have good competition between your team-mates, it is to everyone's benefit and you just try to get better.
"The main focus for me is concentrating on whatever is going on right now [with Bath]. If I keep on putting the graft and the work in, then the international call will take care of itself."
Rokoduguni has run in 10 Aviva Premiership tries this season, second only to Wasps' Christian Wade, while he has the most distance gained at 1,472 metres as well as 31 clean breaks and is clear ahead with 71 defenders beaten.
While there are plenty of supporters and fellow players to champion an England recall, Rokoduguni will continue to bide his time and focus on things which he can directly influence.
"I have been hearing that (England recall) from fans, from other guys in rugby, but the England coaches have given me feedback on what to work on, things I need to improve," Rokoduguni said.
"For me, it shows I still have room for improvement, so the quicker I can learn, then I think the international call will take care of itself."
