POCKLINGTON rugby union starlet Lewis Wilson insists he is not about to get carried away with himself after reflecting on making his England Under-18 debut.

Wilson was named in John Fletcher’s squad for last Saturday’s clash with France at Stade Moreau Desfarges in Brittany in the reintroduced U18 Five Nations tournament, and, despite a bout of tonsilitis on the eve of the game, the 18-year-old came off the bench at open-side flanker for the last half hour of the match.

France won 22-12 thanks to two long-range tries in the last ten minutes but Wilson, from Newton upon Derwent, enjoyed the experience and is hoping for more.

"It was quite surreal really," he said of the occasion. "There were 4,000 fervent French supporters packed into the stadium and it was quite an atmosphere. It was great to get a run-out for the last 30 and it was really physical."

A first England shirt for the Pocklington School ace shows he is heading in the right direction, but the teenager is adamant he still has a lot of work to do not only for any international aspirations but also, closer to home, to help turn Yorkshire Carnegie’s season around.

“I’ve been playing for Yorkshire Carnegie at the academy,” he said. “We’ve had a bit of a shaky season with only two wins.

“But I’ve just come from a training camp with England U18s last week and I was named in the squad to go to France last weekend.

“That was my first international game with them, so hopefully fingers crossed I did okay. It was really exciting.

“There’s definitely a transition from academy rugby to men’s rugby. It’s given me an insight into what the other players in the country and other countries are doing.

“England U18s is a really good bonus. But I’m just generally really looking forward to improving my game gradually and getting a Carnegie first-team spot. That’s my main aim for this year.

“I’m looking at Leeds Beckett University to do my studies as well as my rugby there so that will help me out.

“I just want to better myself each day and nail my sport down with Carnegie and hopefully play in the Premiership with them.”

Wilson was speaking at the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport workshop at Loughborough University, attended by more than 20 of the country’s brightest athletes.

They were offered education seminars on issues such as nutrition, time management and interview techniques, and given mentoring by former Olympic cyclist Bryan Steel, ex-England rugby union player David Flatman, and London 2012 Olympian Adam Gemili.

The latter believes he saw plenty of potential in the likes of Wilson and his fellow Academy of Sport athletes.

Gemili said: “The Academy of Sport does such great things for these young athletes. Jade Jones is the best example – she was on this programme and went on to win Olympic gold at London 2012.

“I’ve been talking about performance lifestyle and the transition from being a junior athlete to a senior one. Things like how much you sleep, eat, and what you do away from your chosen sport plays a massive part in being the best."

Meanwhile, Wilson's Pocklington Colts team-mate, Nathan Smith, is waiting to see if he gets a call-up for England Counties U18s.

Smith, from Pocklington, played in the back row for the North in an epic encounter with the Midlands, which the latter edged 21-17.

After the divisional games, England Counties selected a 24-man squad to go to Ireland at the end of March, with Smith named on the reserve list.

* Lewis Wilson attended the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport workshop, mentored by Land Rover Ambassador David Flatman and Sportsaid Patron Bryan Steel. For more information visit sportsaid.org.uk.