Dragons captain Cory Hill is eager to make his playing return against England at Twickenham on Sunday – after the bittersweet memories of the last titanic clash.
Hill grabbed a stunning try when Wales secured a famous Six Nations victory over England in February on the way to the Grand Slam.
However, the 24-times capped lock damaged his ankle as he powered over and was forced to sit out the rest of the international season.
Hill is now back to full fitness – after a gruelling camp away with Wales in Switzerland – and keen to make up for lost time in a game that he acknowledges will always be a full-on.
“It was a pretty special moment to score that try against England,” said Hill. “But it lasted for 30 seconds as I realised I’d done the injury.
“It will be nice to play England again, but there is a huge squad here and you’ve got to impress in training.
“We will be going full on,” added Hill. “They are Test matches and local derbies as well so there is a little bit more to add to it.
“Playing England is the biggest challenge we could have before the World Cup. We certainly won’t be under-cooked.
“We’ve still got our 14-game streak and the boys want to keep that going.
“You want to win every time you put that red jersey on. We have spoken about it. England games are never easy, but it’s good preparations for the World Cup.
“Hopefully I can impress enough to play in the warm-up before the 31-man squad is announced.”
It was a pretty special moment to score that try... But it lasted for 30 seconds as I realised I’d done the injury...
