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Gallagher-Prime Minister
Alex Coles has set himself the goal of playing for England at the World Cup, and he came a step closer after Northampton The Saints lock was handed his first enhanced EPS contract this summer.
Coles, 27, was an ever-present for his country last season, taking his tally to 22 caps, and the timing couldn’t be better with the World Cup in Australia a little over a year.
But he knows that if he is to be on the plane Down Under, he must not lose focus on what made him one of the first names on Steve Borthwick’s squad list: his form for Gallagher PREM champions Saints.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my mind. The skill I’ve had to learn is to set long-term goals, one of which is to play in the World Cup and help England win it, but not let that cloud the importance of every day.
“It’s a difficult skill, and it’s something I’ve had to try to work on to develop it. You want to have that thing, that motivation, in the back of your head, but also be focused on the here and now.”
“Otherwise, you miss that day of practice, which means your performance over the weekend isn’t as good. That can be the thing you miss if you’re not razor sharp with your focus and intention each day.”
“I have those goals, but it’s really important to stay present and that starts with focusing on this weekend,” he said RugbyPass at the Saints’ weekly media call.
Coles, who is closing in on 150 appearances for Saints, admits the call from Borthwick giving him the good news of an improved contract was the one time he was glad to hear it from his boss.
“I just got a call from him over the summer, talked a little bit about general stuff and then he just told me. It was a pretty short conversation! But it sure was good.
“I was a bit scared because I knew these conversations were happening at the time, so when you get a ring from the boss, you’re always a little nervous! It was a really nice conversation.”
“I was pleased (to get the contract), and I hope it represents that he has a bit of faith in me. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it gives you extra motivation to keep wanting to work hard and try to cement a place in the team and the team,” he added.
