Worcester speedster Miles Benjamin is determined to hit top gear for England in the IRB Under-19 World Championship and finally end his injury heartache.
The 18-year-old Warriors star from Solihull will be part of the squad for the tournament’s opening game against Samoa at Shaw’s Bridge in Belfast tomorrow (Thursday).
Benjamin, who recently signed a new contract with the Academy at Sixways, admits his development has been stalled by a series of unfortunate injuries and setbacks.
He broke an ankle last year and was then forced to pull out of the England Under-20 side the night before they were due to face Wales.
He finally got into an England shirt as the Under-19s prepared to take on Wales – only for the referee to call the game off five minutes before the scheduled start because of a storm that flooded Aberavon’s pitch.
But the wing – who is joined in the England U19 set-up by Warriors team-mates Greg King and Matt Cox – is ready to finally to hit life in the fast lane when he comes face-to-face with Samoa.
“I broke my ankle playing for Worcester at the Middlesex Sevens, so the season has mainly been about rehab and getting back into it,” he said.
“This season I’ve only played one full game – an Academy game between Worcester and Leicester – so the management here have shown a lot of faith in me and I’m really grateful to have been given that chance.”
Benjamin is optimistic about England’s chances in the competition with group games against Samoa, Argentina and New Zealand. Two wins and two bonus points should see England qualify for the semi-finals.
“Personally I just want to stay fit, compete for a starting place and learn as much from the experience as I can,” said Benjamin.
“All the players in the back three positions know each other from the Under-18s last year and we’ve got plenty of options and lots of pace.
“We really feel that we can win the tournament. There is a feeling that we have the potential to do better. We don’t have any big superstars and everyone really plays for each other and you can see that particularly in the way we defend and look after each other.”
Warriors Academy manager Andrew Stanley has also praised Benjamin for battling back from injury this season and tipped him to be a success in the championships.
“We are delighted that Miles is involved,” he said. “He had a very good pre-season and showed a lot of progress at the Henley Sevens and got an early chance to impress at the Middlesex Sevens where he sustained quite a bad injury.
“He has shown great resolve to comeback from that so quickly. He always remained very focused throughout his rehab and having got back he has returned to the standards he sets very quickly.
“It is credit to him and the medical and conditioning staff at Sixways that he is playing again so soon and we wish him all the best for the opening set of games.”