Paul Doran-Jones believes his summer switch to Northampton can kick-start his England career.
Prop believes move to Saints can help his international ambitions
Paul Doran-Jones believes his summer switch to Northampton can kick-start his England career - despite the intense competition for places at Franklin's Gardens.
Doran-Jones had been part of England's training set-up for the World Cup, only to miss out on the final 30-man squad for the tournament.
And having fallen out of the international picture, the decision to move from Gloucester to the Saints could be viewed as a massive gamble for Doran-Jones.
With Soane Tonga'uhia, Dylan Hartley and Brian Mujati forming arguably one of the most feared front-rows in European rugby and Tom Mercey and Alex Waller among those vying for the prop positions, competition for places is fierce.
However Doran-Jones, who can play on either side of the scrum, has made the most of his World Cup omission to rack up 13 appearances in double-quick time for the club.
And he is confident that the he can develop his game at Northampton to earn an international recall.
"It's a huge challenge as the competition within this squad is so tough," Doran-Jones, who has won three caps, told
skysports.com. "There are so many good players competing for 15 places.
Ambitions
"Of course it was a risk joining Northampton but it was one I was willing to take. I've always believed in myself and I know that I'm sort of player who thrives with the competition. I also knew that the move would help me improve as a player.
"I'm playing in a squad surrounded by England players so that can only help and assistant coach Dorian West was also a huge factor in my decision. I've got massive ambitions and England is a big part of that."
Doran-Jones' claims for a recall could be helped if current Saints boss Jim Mallinder wins the race to replace Martin Johnson as England head coach.
And the 26-year-old Doran-Jones believes that Mallinder has all the credentials to be success with the national team.
"Jim is a fantastic coach but he has also surrounded himself with a top-class backroom team," added Doran-Jones.
"That's crucial for any head coach and it also helps build a fantastic atmosphere that the players can then thrive on.
"He always brings a hard work ethic to the table and pushes all his players to improve. Of course he has all the qualities for the job - he's made the Saints the team they are today."
During Saturday's Aviva Premiership derby match between Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints, league sponsors Aviva are continuing their scientific quest to find the league's 'most passionate fans'. In conjunction with the University of Bath, they are measuring passion through heart rate, noise, anxiety and testosterone levels of thirty fans during the match. For more information, visit www.avivapremiership.com/passionate
