Robinson backs Strettle's mettle

David Strettle has been backed to make a full recovery from his disastrous trip to South Africa.

The Harlequins wing will arrive home today, following Gloucester pair Iain Balshaw (shin injury) and Nick Wood (torn chest muscle), who both left England’s training base on Sunday.

Strettle spent several days in hospital last week for rehydration treatment after being laid low by a stomach virus that affected several England players and has still not totally relented.

Given the impact Strettle made during this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship, he had been expected to further strong World Cup claims during both Tests against South Africa in Bloemfontein and Pretoria.

But his next England opportunity is now on hold until the World Cup warm-up appointments with Wales and France in August.

England skipper Jason Robinson though, has no doubt Strettle will soon be firing on all cylinders again.

Robinson said: “Despite his illness, he has been quite chirpy.

“It is obviously disappointing we’ve not had him out there playing, because he is a great young player for us and I am sure the experience would have done him a great amount of good.

“He will go home disappointed, but sometimes that’s how it goes. Given a bit of rest, he will be there or thereabouts come the next selection.”

On the plus side for England, fly-half Jonny Wilkinson trained yesterday after leaving first-Test venue Bloemfontein with a cut face and bruised lower back, while centre Andy Farrell and scrum-half Peter Richards – both virus victims - also featured.

But Robinson (knee fluid), flanker Andy Hazell (bruised knee) and wing James Simpson-Daniel (ill) took no part in the session.

England head coach Brian Ashton is unlikely to announce his team until later today, at the earliest, as the world champions prepare for another major Springboks examination following last Saturday’s record 58-10 defeat.

Robinson added: “These are challenges that you face as a player.

“I actually see failure as a part of success. You have got to go through times when it is not going right. You see the character within yourself and the team, and you’ve got to work hard.

“Just because you’ve done well in the past, it doesn’t mean to say you are guaranteed that for the rest of your career.

“The spirit is probably the best I’ve ever been involved in with a team. There has been disappointment, but one thing that hasn’t dipped has been the team spirit and the belief we can turn things around.

“We are looking forward so much to going out there on Saturday. There is a lot of frustration after the Bloemfontein game, but Saturday cannot come around quickly enough, to be honest.

“We’ve got a team that believes it can win on Saturday. Yes, we were beaten by a heavy margin last weekend, but we’ve looked at the game and, if we sort it out, there is no reason why we can’t.

“What we enjoy as players is going out there when your backs are against the wall, when everyone has written you off, and proving them wrong. That’s what we have got to do.

“Looking at the [Bloemfontein] game, there have been times when I have been beaten by 50 points before and it really felt like it.

“Playing in the game, I honestly don’t think – although South Africa are a good team – they are 50 points better than us.”