Roy Winters admits he can thank the British Lions skipper for helping him back into the England set-up.

Now the 25-year-old former Haywards Heath flanker aims to return the favour by seeing Martin Johnson to a winning start at the helm of the A team.

Winters makes his return to the England's second string against Italy in L'Aquila tonight after impressing for Bedford in their narrow defeat by Leicester at the weekend. National coach Clive Woodward was among the crowd at Goldington Road to check on how Johnson was progressing after a couple of recent injuries.

Lowly Bedford pushed the Premiership leaders all the way before going down 32-22 and Woodward saw enough from Winters to name him in the As ahead of Paul Gustard, who came on as a 57th-minute replacement for Leicester in that match.

Winters admitted: "The call-up came out of the blue. I got a call from Twickenham on Monday morning telling me to get down to Maidenhead. We had a team meeting and training there and then came to Italy on Wednesday.

"I suppose I was lucky that Clive Woodward was at our game but I'm loving being part of the England scene again. I played a couple of years ago and I know most of the other players from league games, so it makes a bit easier. Hopefully they'll be looking to me to take the ball on and they'll use me a fair bit in the lineout. That's probably my strength."

Winters, who was born in Cuckfield, has enjoyed a real rollercoaster ride with Bedford since signing in 1996. The club won Premiership Two in 1998 but only stayed up on a try count last year when their end-of-term play-off against Rotherham finished all square on aggregate.

Things are just as fraught this time round, which makes it all the more creditable that Winters has earned a fourth A team cap and scrum half Andy Gomarsall has made it onto the senior side's replacement bench, where he joins his former Wasps half back partner Alex King.

Winters added: "Andy's done us proud and made sure we've got a bit of recognition. Hopefully I'll do the same. I haven't watched any of the A games this season but we've got a lot of experience up front and we're confident of doing well.

"Martin Johnson has been fairly quiet so far but that will change before the match. He's done wonders for the national side and the Lions but he knows he won't find it easy to get back in."

Eastbourne College old boy Will Green, the Wasps tight head, is another member of the England pack who will be looking to exert their authority tonight.

It has been quite a week for Haywards Heath, who saw another of their former flankers, Adam Vander of Bristol, called into England's party for the Hong Hong Sevens.

A couple of Heath members were this week checking their road maps and wondering whether they could stop off at L'Aquila before heading to tomorrow's main event in Rome.

The town is the capital of the picturesque Abruzzo region and its range of ancient attractions used to include veteran Aussie winger Dave Campese, who turned out for the local team. That was in the twilight of his great career. But maybe this trip to central Italy can be the dawn of great things for a young hopeful from Sussex.

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