Ward-Smith still dreaming of World Cup

The uncapped Bristol number eight has refused to concede defeat on a gruelling comeback trail from serious injury.

Ward-Smith was cruelly denied a probable England debut during last season's RBS Six Nations Championship when he dislocated his right kneecap and suffered a ruptured patella in the 14th minute of a Guinness Premiership game at Northampton.

The 29-year-old, whose blistering form helped propel Bristol towards the dizzy heights of Heineken Cup qualification, underwent surgery and faced a grim prospect that his World Cup dream might never be realised.

Six months on, the World Cup countdown has gathered momentum, but Ward-Smith retains an admirable sense of optimism that he will be fit and available prior to England head coach Brian Ashton's August 14 squad announcement during a month when three warm-up Tests are also scheduled.

The New Zealand-born prospect - arguably English rugby's most destructive ball-carrying forward last term - took a limited part in this week's training camp on the Algarve.

But he intends stepping things up when England's World Cup hopefuls reassemble at their Bath University training base for further important sessions during the next fortnight.

Ward-Smith said: "I am making really good progress, and I am doing everything in my power to get fit as soon as possible. There wasn't really a plan from day one.

"It is one of those injuries where there isn't a mapped-out recovery protocol when you move from A to B to C.

"It is hard to say whether I am ahead of schedule or behind schedule because it is quite a rare injury and not many people have had experience of rehabilitating it.

"There is not a lot of time before the World Cup, but I can sprint and I can jump and I am doing a lot of training such as weightlifting to try to get the strength back into my leg.

"There is still a lot of work to do, but I am in the best possible hands and if it is an achievable goal, I am sure I will achieve it."

Ward-Smith can recall in vivid detail the moment he was hurt at Franklin's Gardens. The immediate aftermath left him requiring oxygen from medical staff before he was stretchered off.

He added: "I was trying to drive in one direction, and obviously, the opposition were keener for me to go in another direction.

"My knee got into a funny angle, and I had people pushing me as well to prevent me from making any ground, and the tendons were obviously weakened as a result."

The freak injury left him facing a long road back to fitness, but he readily salutes the huge team effort that has at least given him the chance of realising his World Cup hopes.

Ward-Smith has spent time in America with renowned knee specialist Bill Knowles - England internationals Charlie Hodgson and Austin Healey are among those to have previously benefited from his expertise - with no let-up in the orchestrated effort to see him regain full fitness.

He said: "The whole way through it has been a combination between the Bristol medical staff, Bill Knowles in America and the Rugby Football Union medical staff. It is a real team effort.

"Next week, I will start to step it up, and then a bit more the week after that."

England will leave their training base in Vilamoura tomorrow.