WHILE most of England’s players were struggling to come to terms with their agonising first Test defeat to New Zealand, Chris Pennell was doing his utmost to stop a smile from appearing on his face.
This may sound like a strange reaction from a player whose side had just been denied victory in the closing moments, but Pennell had just achieved what he had yearned for all his career.
With less than a minute left on the clock in Auckland on June 7, the 27-year-old became an England international when he replaced Jonny May.
Although he failed to get his hands on the ball, the full back’s appearance against the All Blacks fulfilled a life-time ambition, which Pennell admitted had previously been nothing but a distant dream.
“There have certainly been a number of times when I have felt like I was a long way away from getting anywhere near it, so it is still a bit surreal that I was actually given that opportunity,” he said.
“I guess all the hours in the physio room and everything I had gone through to get there was obviously worth it.”
Coming into a new season, staying injury-free would have been Pennell’s main objective having spent large chunks of his career on the side-lines.
But now the former Warriors skipper, who also grabbed his first try in an England jersey this summer when he dived over in a non-cap match against the Crusaders, has got one thing dominating his mind.
“Obviously with the World Cup approaching in just over a year there are some exciting times ahead and I really want to make sure I am one of those names picked for that squad,” Pennell said. “Now I have ticked that box and got that cap, it is certainly not a case of just sitting back as I want more, so it’s now about saying how do I keep myself in contention.”
But how does he go about that? Unlike his rivals for the number 15 jersey, Pennell will be playing in the second tier of English rugby.
However the Sixways star, who was included in Stuart Lancaster’s 55-man squad to training in Loughborough this week, is convinced his performances for Warriors can continue to keep his name in the frame.
“From my understanding the England coaches’ point of view was that there was never any pressure on me to be playing in the Premiership in order to have a chance of breaking through,” Pennell said.
“Had that not been the case then maybe there would have been conversations but it never came about, so going out on loan was not something I had thought about.
“I think being part of a winning team will be great for me this season and if I can put in some really strong individual performances along with team wins I thing that’s what the selectors will be looking for. I want them to sit up and take note, so hopefully I can keep pushing my case for a place in that squad.”
But what is for certain is that the England international has plenty of reasons to smile.