Alex Coles reveals ‘nervy’ Steve Borthwick call ahead of World Cup push

Alex Coles set himself the goal of playing for England at the World Cup, and he moved a step closer after the Northampton Saints lock was handed his first enhanced EPS contract this summer.

Coles, 27, was ever-present for his country last season, taking his cap tally to 22, and the timing couldn’t have been better with the World Cup in Australia a little over a year away.

But he knows that if he wants to be on the plane Down Under, he must not lose focus on what has made him one of the first names on Steve Borthwick’s squad list: his form for Gallagher PREM champions Saints.

“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t in the back of my mind. A skill I’ve had to learn is setting long-term goals, and one of those is to play at the World Cup and help England win it, but also not let it cloud the importance of every day.

“It’s a hard skill, and it’s something I’ve had to try to work on to develop. You want to have that thing, that motivation, in the back of your head, but also be focused on the here and now.

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“Otherwise, you miss out on that training day, which means your performance at the weekend isn’t as good. That can be a thing you let slip if you’re not razor-sharp with your focus and intent on each day.

“I’ve got those goals, but it’s really important that I stay present and that starts with focusing on this weekend,” he told RugbyPass on Saints’ weekly media call.

Coles, who is closing in on 150 appearances for Saints, admits that the call from Borthwick giving him the good news about the enhanced contract was one time he was pleased to hear from a boss.

“I just got a call from him over the summer, chatted a bit about general stuff and then he just told me then. It was quite a short conversation! But it was definitely good.

“I was a bit apprehensive because I knew those conversations were going on at the time, so when you get a ring from the boss, it’s always a bit nervy! It was a really nice conversation.

“I was pleased (to get the contract), and hopefully it represents him having a bit of trust in me. It doesn’t guarantee anything at all, but it gives you that extra motivation to keep wanting to work hard and trying to cement a place in the team and in the squad,” he added.