Dan aims to prove he deserves another England shot

Motivated: Theo Dan

THEO Dan is ready to fight hard for his World Cup dream after having his international nose pushed out of joint in recent times.

The Saracens hooker wants to step back into the England ring and show off his skill and power after finding himself on the fringes of the squad.

And Dan aims to start proving he deserves another crack in the Test front line by helping his club enjoy local bragging rights in what will be another fierce and feisty derby battle with Harlequins today.

The 25-year-old is relishing the visit to The Stoop and insists: “The rivalry between us and Quins is very special. I’m pretty close to a few of their guys from the England scene, especially Fin Baxter whose had such a tough time with injuries. There’s also Chandler (Cunningham-South) and we know what he can do….

“It’s a London derby and while we’re on the pitch there will be no love lost. Once we’re off it we’re mates and will share a beer.

“Last year they came at us with a different game plan than we expected… they beat us at our own game! They were very heavy aerial focus and kicked everything. I recall coming off the field feeling super frustrated knowing we’d come off second best. That’s stuck with me leading into this week. and is a motivational factor.”

Dan says giving stalwart Jamie George the perfect retirement gift is motivating their bid for a seventh Premiership title. He says: “Come the business end of the season we want to be in the mix so that we can do it for him as we as ourselves. He deserves to be have a send off in the play-offs or better because that’s where he’s spent most of his career. We’re desperate to do it for him and ourselves.”

George took over from another Sarries legend in Springbok Schalk Brits and soon it will be Dan trying fill George’s sizeable boots.

He adds: “That’s something I aspire to be – a leader in the squad. I’ve been here since I was 15 and it seems the natural progression in my career. I’m no longer the young kid on the block. Young guys are coming through and it’s for me to take on a bit more leadership from the front.”