Rugby World Cup 2015: Ben Morgan declares 'I'm ready to go' ahead of public fitness test against France

The Gloucester forward suffered a serious fracture to his lower leg during a high-intensity Premiership match against Saracens in January

Ben Morgan scores one of his two tries in England’s 26-17 win over Australia at Twickenham in November (Getty Images)

The tales of England’s two premier No 8s could hardly be more contrasting. Billy Vunipola has lost a little over a stone in weight during the course of the World Cup training programme and is in the best shape of his life. Ben Morgan? He lost the use of his left leg for months on end, still wears an orthopaedic sock for extra support and does not have the foggiest idea what kind of shape he is in ahead of Saturday’s important warm-up with France at Twickenham.

Not that Morgan is giving voice to his self-doubt. “I’m ready to go,” he said, more than once, while taking a breather from red-rose preparations. But he seemed less relaxed than usual, less at peace with himself. If his responses to the hard questions were characteristically phlegmatic – “I don’t have any particular goals in mind as to how long I will last against the French,” he remarked at one point, adding that it was his sole intention to “go out there and play my natural game” – his tone was unusually defensive.

This was entirely understandable, given that his chances of World Cup participation next month depend almost entirely on what amounts to a public fitness test. So public, indeed, that around 80,000 people will be on hand to witness it.

Back in January, the Gloucester forward was playing a blinder in a high-intensity Premiership match against Saracens (who happened to have Vunipola in their back row) when he suffered a serious fracture to his lower leg – an injury that required immediate surgery, followed by a second operation to remove a pin inserted to hold things together during the early stages of recovery.

Such was the quality of the medical care, he was able to start running during England’s conditioning camp in Colorado last month. However, he had to wait until late last week to resume contact work.

As there is a vast difference between contact on the practice field and contact involving a snorting pack of French forwards seeking to prove themselves to their own coaching team ahead of the global tournament, it is safe to say that Morgan will be asking an awful lot of himself on Saturday. If he comes through, it will speak volumes for his resolve.

“Any game is a big game when you’re coming back from a bad injury and a long lay-off,” he said. “But hey, I’ve worked hard, I feel I’m in a good place and as I love playing for my country, this opportunity is everything I want. When my leg was broken, I didn’t think there was any point in getting wound up in the ‘will I, won’t I?’ thing about the World Cup. My attitude was ‘if it happens, it happens’. So now, it’s a matter of getting out there against France and going for it.

Morgan is competing with Billy Vunipola, pictured, and Nick Easter to get into the World Cup squad (Getty) (Getty Images)

“This sounds a bit twisted, but I’ve had the longest pre-season of anyone and it’s given my body a chance to recover from all the stress of playing full-time rugby. And I’ve changed shape with all the strength work I’ve done – all the boring shit. If you spend months in a gym, that’s bound to happen.

“Yes, it can be a bit monotonous, a little frustrating, when you’re staring out of the window wishing you were out there on the field. But you have to make the most of your situation.”

Can he make the most of it this weekend, to the satisfaction of the England hierarchy? The coaches are praying for an answer in the affirmative. Last autumn, Morgan had pulled ahead of Vunipola as the red-rose No 8 of choice, and while the Saracens man, still a heavyweight ball-carrier despite shedding all those pounds over the summer, was a highly significant contributor during the Six Nations, the men who pick the team are keen to see the contest rekindled.

“Ben is ready for a game – I know that from watching him over the last couple of days,” said Graham Rowntree, the forwards coach. “Does he have time to get back to the right level? We’ll just have to see how he performs at the weekend. We have something in mind as to how long we want him on the field – something appropriate to the amount of time he’s been off. He just has to fulfil some basic roles for us. We don’t want to clutter his mind with anything else, like trying to be the best No 8 in the world. We just want him to do a few things very well.”

Sounds easy? It is anything but. Morgan is miles ahead of where the pessimists thought he might be following initial reports of his injury, but there are more miles left for him to cover. If he makes it, England will consider it a bonus.

Back of the pack: No 8s in England squad

Ben Morgan (Gloucester)

Age 26

Height 6ft 3in

Weight 18st 4lb

England debut 2012

Caps 27

Points 25

Billy Vunipola (Saracens)

Age 22

Height 6ft 2in

Weight 19st 12lb

England debut 2013

Caps 17

Points 15

Nick Easter (Harlequins)

Age 36

Height 6ft 4in

Weight 17st 13lb

England debut 2007

Caps 51

Points 30