Williams is lean, keen and ready to fight for England dream

London Irish midfielder Johnny Williams has vowed to come back fitter, stronger and faster as he aims to get his England ambitions back on track after a stop-start Championship campaign.
Williams proved to be one of the finds of the Premiership season in 2015-16 when, having been thrown into the fray at the tender age of 18, the strapping inside-centre saw his stock rise sharply during what ultimately turned into a losing cause.
Irish were relegated but Williams went on to help England U20s claim the 2016 World Championship and with the Exiles now back in the top-flight, he has outlined his intention to give Red Rose boss Eddie Jones yet another midfield conundrum to solve.
Williams told The Rugby Paper: “That first season in the Premiership was pretty crazy as it was my first year out of school and I was chucked in the deep end with a team trying to survive.
“It was a rollercoaster year in that there I was loving life, starting Premiership games and getting all that fantastic exposure against top players, but ultimately we were coming in every Monday and the vibes weren't great with us losing and being bottom of the table.
“On that side of things it was pretty rough but I look back at it now as a massively positive experience and I learnt so much from that year. I don't look at it as a rubbish situation, I see it with pride and I'm grateful for being given the opportunity.
“This year is about kicking on with my career now and trying to fulfil my goals, because being back in the Premiership means you get exposure and Eddie Jones will be watching. I'm really hoping I can impress so I can be involved in a few camps.”
Williams added: “Joe Marchant's a good friend of mine and we had a good centre partnership going in the U20s last year. He had a great season for Harlequins and it's a shame he got injured, otherwise I'm sure he'd have been going to Argentina.
“My target is to get involved in the England set-up as well and if I can get my fitness up and be involved in our pre-season games, I'll look to be first choice against Harlequins in the Double Header and get my season off to a really good start.”
A torn hamstring in March meant Williams missed Irish's triumphant Championship run in – a sad end to a frustrating campaign that had already seen him absent for large periods due to earlier knee and hamstring injuries.
However, 20-year-old Williams has used his lay-off wisely, explaining: “I'm doing everything I can and working hard with our physios to make sure I'm the best athlete I can be – fitter, stronger, quicker, with a lot more agility than before.
“Off the back of the U20s success I had been hoping to take that form into the Championship, but first I had a patella tendon injury before suffering a minor hamstring strain and then getting the torn hamstring that finished my season.
“Last season wasn't great but I've been a real student of the game in my time off and worked hard on my skills to sharpen everything up.
“I've also worked hard on being leaner than I was previously, so I'm a really solid 105kgs (16st 5lbs) rather than being just a little bit porky. It's going to be a really big season for Irish and I'm trying to give myself every advantage I can.”
NEALE HARVEY