Wigglesworth hopes Sarries can help World Cup bid

8:10am Friday 3rd September 2010

By Simon Mail

Richard Wigglesworth believes his move to Sarries will boost his international hopes for England.

The scrum-half left Sale after nine seasons this summer and is confident the experienced coaching staff at Saracens will help his chances of sealing a place in the World Cup squad next year.

"Playing for England is very important," he said. "It was another reason why I came here because I felt the coaches could develop me and hopefully push my way back into the England set-up."

Wigglesworth faces stiff competition from Neil de Kock at number nine this season but admits the South African has been very welcoming and the pair understand the importance of squad rotation during a long campaign.

The 27-year-old said: “Neil is a great bloke and he's really helped me settle in. With the rotation we're both going to play and we're both fine with what's going on.

"It's a massively strong squad. We've been playing a lot of pre-season games with completely different 15s and you wouldn't know which is the first team really.

"It just shows how strong the squad is and the rotation policy needs to be that way. It covers every eventuality with having such a strong squad.

"They are all top players and more than that they're top blokes so they're very easy to get on with and made me feel very welcome. It obviously makes your job a lot easier if you're playing around top internationals."

Wigglesworth found himself embroiled in a relegation battle last year with the Sharks but expects an entirely different challenge with the Men in Black. He is convinced the club have what it takes to win the title for the first time and they are setting lofty ambitions.

He added: "If you put together this sort of team you are not looking to just finish up the league. You are looking to win things and this team won't settle for anything less."

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