Tigers' Van Poortvliet plots quick England return

Leicester Tigers scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet says he used his omission from England's summer tour as a "big opportunity" to improve.

The 23-year-old last featured for the national team in August 2023 against Wales - a match in which he suffered an ankle injury that forced him out of last year's World Cup.

A succession of other injury setbacks after that kept him sidelined for eight months, and, while back to full fitness at the end of last season, he was overlooked by England boss Steve Borthwick.

"I always want to play international rugby and once you have had a taste of it, you want to get it back as quick as possible," Van Poortvliet told BBC Radio Leicester.

"I was gutted, but I think for me I wasn’t good enough to get picked at that point."

Borthwick called on Premiership-winning Northampton number nine Alex Mitchell, Bath's Ben Spencer and Bristol’s Harry Randall for the summer Test matches against Japan and New Zealand.

Van Poortvliet, who has earned 14 caps since making his England debut against Australia in the summer of 2022, said he refused to dwell on what his pre-World Cup injury last year has cost him as others further solidified their place on the international stage.

"You get dealt your cards in injuries, or the timing of it, and that is out of your control, freak stuff like that, so I just have to control what I can control," Van Poortvliet said.

"For me, that's to focus on myself and I'm not too worried about others."

He said a pre-season working under new Tigers boss Michael Cheika, the former Australia and Argentina head coach who led Leinster Heineken Cup glory in 2009, was a positive to come from his England omission.

"It was then a focus on 'right, I have a big opportunity now, with a longer pre-season, to improve in the areas I want to improve on' and I've come back refreshed, fit and ready to go.

"The pre-season has allowed me to do that and I’m feeling really good."