Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley has opened up about his England call-up

Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley has revealed that his selection for the England Six Nations squad took him completely by surprise. 
The 22-year-old found out about his call-up in front of his Gloucester teammates, with head coach Johan Ackermann sharing the news.
Thorley explained to the Gloucester website how Eddie Jones‘ decision wasn’t something he had even thought about.
“It was incredibly exciting for me, that’s the main emotion, I was full of excitement when Johan told me,” Thorley said.
“I genuinely wasn’t expecting it all, and so it took a bit of time for me to process what Johan was saying to me.
“It was quite nice how he did it in front of all of the boys as well, and I really appreciated that. Excitement is the big word.”
Despite missing the start of the season through injury, Thorley has scored five tries in the nine games since his return to fitness.
His run of form led to him being selected as the Premiership Player of the Month for November.
The winger will travel to Portugal with the England squad next week and will be competing against the likes of Elliot Daly, Jack Nowell and Jonny May for a starting spot against Ireland on the opening weekend of the Six Nations.
“It is definitely intense, and I think you could tell that from the moment you walked in. There was a great buzz around the place, and it was incredibly focused,” he said.
“Everyone knows what their goals are, and I sort of like the intent that everyone has. It goes without saying how professional the environment felt, and everything like that.
“Going there and getting a taste of it made me want to experience it again, so I’m really glad I have the opportunity to do that in the coming weeks.”
The former Under-20 international is the only Gloucester player to make the England side after Danny Cipriani and Ben Morgan were left out.
MATT WALKER