Autumn internationals news: Dan Ward-Smith tipped for England selection

10/05/2010

Dan Ward-Smith has been backed by his Wasps bosses to stake a claim on the England squad ahead of the autumn internationals.

The forward, who is capable of playing either in the second row or at number eight, capped an impressive Guinness Premiership season with a try against Newcastle Falcons last Saturday (May 8th 2010).

Tony Hanks, the director of rugby at Wasps, suggested that Ward-Smith could be England coach Martin Johnson's answer to finding a long-term successor to veteran lock Simon Shaw.

He went on to describe the former Bristol player as the "new prototype second row" and said he is "in with a great shout" of making England's summer tour to Australia and New Zealand.

If he wins selection for the southern hemisphere series, Ward-Smith could also be in line to feature in the autumn internationals later this year.

However, the New Zealand-born star faces competition from Shaw himself, who recently told ESPN Scrum that he is eyeing a place in the 2011 World Cup squad.

Posted by Ted Walker