Ambitious Olly Woodburn stating his case for Test call

(Photo: Getty Images)
By Neale Harvey
Exeter speedster Olly Woodburn is ready to back up Philippe Saint-Andre's fervent assertion that it is time the England hierarchy picked him.
A key figure in last season's title win, Woodburn has started the current campaign equally impressively, with his try-scoring, defensive work and ability under the high ball attracting the attention of Saint-Andre in his capacity as a pundit for French TV.
French wing legend Saint-Andre told The Rugby Paper: “Why is Olly Woodburn not in the England squad? He should be because he's big, is so good under the high ball, very strong in defence and he can score tries as well – and lots of them!”
For his part, Woodburn is eager for a chance in a Red Rose jersey and to continue proving why Bath were wrong to deny him opportunities before he quit the Rec in 2015 for Exeter, where he averages a try every other game in 42 league starts.
Woodburn, 25, said: “It's not just about proving something to Bath, it's about proving to anyone who's watching that I'm capable of playing at a higher level.
“I'm enjoying the opportunities I'm getting at Exeter and trying to maximise my chances of pushing on by playing the best rugby I can. Test rugby is my goal and I feel like I'm putting myself in the best position by playing for the English champions.
“I enjoy taking the ball through the line and I feel like my aerial skills are something I've really improved on. I want to take that to a level where I get recognised for it because I enjoy the high ball and it's a skill that sometimes gets overlooked.
“It's imperative to being a top-class back-three player and I want to be the best in the Premiership there, while getting my fair share of tries. I'm picking up tries where I can and we're working well as a team, so hopefully I can grab people's attention.”

Woodburn credits Rob Baxter and head coach Ali Hepher, left, for his transformation from bit-part player to influential performer, explaining: “They've created an environment where we play a lot of attacking rugby and that's improved my confidence.
“I get my hands on the ball a lot running off people like Sam Simmonds and Henry Slade and Rob and Ali have improved my game awareness so I can come off my wing and get involved.
“There's good competition here with Jack Nowell and James Short, while Tom O'Flaherty's come in and looked sharp, but I've been playing week-in, week-out and I'm excited about getting on the pitch every week and proving myself against big players.”
Woodburn would love back-to-back league titles, adding: “It's important to reflect on what you've achieved and I've got lots of pictures on my wall from what happened at Twickenham in May, but at the same time we want to kick on again now.
“We feel we've still got a lot more to achieve and, on a personal level, I'm really keen to take that next step and push hard for international rugby.”