After missing out on England's win against Wales, Hendre Fourie is determined to make his mark on the RBS Six Nations this weekend.
Leeds flanker determined to take his chance
Hendre Fourie may have missed out on England's win in Cardiff but the flanker is determined to make his mark on the RBS Six Nations this weekend.
With Martin Johnson opting to release Joe Worsley from his squad on Wednesday, Fourie is now likely to be involved in some form against Italy at Twickenham.
With an injury to his calf two weeks before the start of the tournament, Fourie was not made available for selection for the Wales game and instead returned back to Leeds to get some game time in their match against Northampton in the LV= Cup.
He made an immediate impact for his club, scoring a try and setting up another during an action-packed 40-minute display.
And he has now set his sights on establishing himself in the England team ahead of the World Cup.
"An injury at any time is disappointing, but you can't see them coming and it's just the way it goes," Fourie told
skysports.com.
"I've come through 40 minutes with Leeds and a tough contact session with England on Tuesday and the calf feels great.
"My focus was on getting the calf ready for this week and trying to get my place back in the 22.
"Being involved again is great and I'm looking forward to taking my chance and making an impact this weekend."
Opportunity
The 31-year-old has risen to the national squad after moving to Leeds from Rotherham in 2007.
With the injury to Lewis Moody, the No.7 shirt was up for grabs in this year's Six Nations and Fourie will be looking to make it hard for the England skipper to regain his place once he is fit.
"Tom Wood has shown how to take advantage of an opportunity that comes your way," added Fourie.
"It's hard to make it into the squad, but once you are there and performing well it's difficult for other guys to get back in."
The South-African-born flanker has settled back in to the England camp after his time back at Leeds and says the squad has reacted well after their victory against Wales.
"We've been in camp for a while now and the routine is always similar, which makes it easy to settle back in," he said.
England face Italy at Twickenham this weekend with the Azzurri having come close to a shock victory over Ireland in their opening game.
However England are confident they can build on their performance against Wales with victory at HQ.
"The whole squad is in great spirits," added Fourie.
"We've been through our reviews and looked at the Welsh game in detail, and we'll be looking for a more rounded team performance this week."
