Healey would rather wait for 50th England cap

AUSTIN HEALEY is in two minds about the prospect of joining one of England’s most exclusive rugby clubs on Saturday.

If the Leicester wing comes off the bench against South Africa at Twickenham, as he did in the dying minutes against both New Zealand and Australia, he will become the 14th England player to win 50 caps.

Half of him is desperate to share in hopefully another triumph over the southern hemisphere. The other half wants to wait to fulfil his dream of notching a half-century of appearances in the customary way by leading the team out.

‘‘If I do get my 50th cap sometime during the game it will be very disappointing not to have led the side out,’’ said 29-year-old Healey. ‘‘That was something I always wanted to do.

‘‘But I’m lucky to be involved. I still feel pretty young. I still think I’ve got a lot of good years, hopefully my best year, ahead.’’

Healey had been expected to fill the vacancy on the wing when James Simpson-Daniel went down with glandular fever earlier this week, but the opportunity has been given to Bristol wing Phil Christophers.

It caps a disappointing autumn for the Leicester man, whose injury problems have prevented him from displaying the dynamic form of which he is capable. ‘‘It has been very frustrating,’’ he admitted. ‘‘But I’m lucky to be here.

‘‘Sure, I want to be in the starting line-up, but for that I have to change the perception of the coaches.

‘‘I’m looking forward to going back to Leicester to try to cement my place in the team and build from there.’’

Healey admits the emergence of so many talented three-quarters is an added pressure as preparations build towards the World Cup in Australia next year, but it is a challenge he relishes. However, the man who is known in the England camp as Mr Versatile also admits if he is to be fully involved in next year’s World Cup, he might have to look somewhere else other than wing. Ben Cohen looks a certainty, having scored 18 tries in 20 Tests.

And a list of contenders for the other flank includes Simpson-Daniel, Christophers, plus injured flyers Dan Luger and Iain Balshaw.

‘‘Six months ago I would have said my best chance of getting into the World Cup squad was on the wing,’’ said Healey. ‘‘Now, maybe I’ll have to try somewhere else.

‘‘Maybe I would have been a better player if I’d stayed at scrum-half, but perhaps I would have stagnated and got bored with the whole game.

‘‘I think the changing around of positions has really kept my appetite hard for playing rugby.’’