FORMER Thornbury RFC ace Billy Vunipola has been handed a golden chance to step back into the England side and push for a starting place in the World Cup later this year.

The 22-year-old, who played for the Thorns as a youngster while attending Castle School, has a fortnight to impress England national coach Stuart Lancaster that he has recovered his form enough to step into the shoes of Dursley-born Ben Morgan.

But he is now facing a massive new challenge for the England jersey from a ‘warrior’ who has found superb form just at the right time.

Vunipola and Morgan went head-to-head in a Kingsholm showdown last Friday as Morgan’s Gloucester beat Saracens 24-23 with a dramatic 50-metre penalty by fly-half James Hook.

Vunipola scored a try in the second-half from an attacking line-out but the contest with the Gloucester number eight was cut short when Morgan suffered a broken leg that required surgery on Saturday.

Big back row forward Vunipola has been backed for a recall by his head coach Mark McCall but faces competition for the place in the team to face Wales at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in three week from the likes of Harlequins Nick Easter, who had a storming match for his club against Leicester last Saturday.

Easter may be 36 but the threat to the ex-Thornbury man’s place for that Six Nations opener and for the World Cup should Morgan’s rehabilitation from his injury last as long as it is believed he will be out – six months – is real.

Quins director of rugby, speaking after the Leicester match, said: “I know Stuart and we had a good, long chat about it last year. Stuart's worry has always been will he get to the World Cup with the ability to play at that intensity and pace?

"If he gets to the end of the season and he's still playing like that, England might take a look at him. No doubt in a few months' time he will more than ready.

"I've been very fortunate to have Nick at the club while I've been here. He's a warrior, a rugby player, and while he may be old school in some ways, he plays rugby at a level very few people can. He tries things and never goes into his shell. The harder the going gets and the more we're under pressure, the better he plays.

Meanwhile, Dursley RFC, where Morgan learnt his rugby as a youngster, have sent their best wishes for a speedy recovery to the Gloucester number eight.