Joe Cokanasiga has sent a message to Steve Borthwick after World Cup heartbreak with England

A rampant player of the match display on Sunday from Joe Cokanasiga sent a message to England and Steve Borthwick - don’t forget about me. After the disappointment of missing out on selection for the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations, Bath’s big winger has learned how to smile again.

Cokanasiga scored twice and should have had a third, had it not been for a late spill with the line in his sights with the game already won. “I’m glad they picked man of the match before,” he said afterwards with a grin. Now 26, he has not been involved with England since featuring in the first warm-up game in Cardiff.

That tough moment forced Cokanasiga to reset and re-evaluate, as Johann van Graan, Bath’s head coach, explained after Sunday’s win.

He said: “We spoke about ‘what are you good at and how do we make that better’, ‘what are the things you have been given to work on and how do you make that better’, and the most important thing was ‘Joe, why do you play rugby’. Because he is such an incredible rugby player, he loves it. He has gone back to playing well, training hard, doing extras at training, improving his all-round game. We had a lot of good performances today but that was class from him.”

The attacking traits have always been there but even so, watching Cokanasiga fly out of the blocks against Sale was enjoyable. After 30 seconds he had trucked through scrum-half Gus Warr...

... while from another carry later in the first half, starting from way behind the gain line, he made far more ground than most wingers would from that position as Sale required three tacklers to bring him down.

That ability with ball in hand has never been in doubt. Cokanasiga beat six defenders on Sunday while scoring two tries, taking his tally since the start of Dec. to 10 in nine matches. The big question has always been whether the other areas of his game can kick on to match that prowess going forward. Bath used him slightly differently against Sale, with Cokanasiga regularly off his wing in attack, creating mismatches which led to clean breaks...

... and also Bath’s first two tries, initially with Cokanasiga as an inside ball option off Finn Russell and later as a decoy. Training at outside centre during the week helped Cokanasiga adjust to spending more time off his wing and the results were obvious.

“It’s brilliant to see him carrying the ball in one hand which is so unique to him,” Van Graan said afterwards, which must have junior coaches up and down the country screaming into their hands. “It’s great to see him playing rugby with a smile. Look at how his aerial game has improved, his defence with some of the hits that he has made.”

In the air against Sale he chased gamely, while defensively he finished with 11 tackles and was explosive - in good and bad ways. He flew out of the line like a cannonball to stop Rob du Preez and missed...

... while a rush out of the line in the second half led to a Sale break which might have been more damaging had Arron Reed not slipped.

There was no questioning Cokanasiga’s determination, however. His best kick-chase of the game led to a thumping tackle on Joe Carpenter which also resulted in Cokanasiga suffering his first-ever shoulder ‘stinger’.

Yet he showed his toughness and hunger for defensive work by getting up on his feet in time to race back and help Ben Spencer complete a superb try-saving tackle on Reed.

‘Confidence player’ is a dangerous tag to put on anyone but there’s no question that when Cokanasiga has a smile on his face, he produces his best rugby. The appointment of attack coach Lee Blackett sounds pivotal in that regard. “He is helping me a lot, putting me in different positions where I am not usually comfortable. That is good for my whole performance, my whole game. He is big on giving players confidence and when you have that, you can feel unstoppable,” Cokanasiga said afterwards.

Russell’s arrival at The Rec seems pivotal, helping to give Cokanasiga more touches and to find him in space, and when a pack is playing as well as Bath’s right now then the playmakers - Russell, Ben Spencer, Cam Redpath - have time to pick out the strike runners in Cokanasiga, Muir and Ollie Lawrence, with everything falling into place.

Wing is an area where England currently seem well stocked, with Tommy Freeman having been one of their better players in the recent Six Nations and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso exploding into Test rugby with his performances against Scotland and Ireland. Elliot Daly remains a great option, while Tom Roebuck, who scored a smart intercept try for Sale on Sunday, and Bath’s Will Muir are both on the radar. All being well, Freeman and Feyi-Waboso will have three Tests on tour this summer to keep building up experience.

Yet the potential of Cokanasiga remains fascinating, coming up to six years since his England debut. Should he show further progress in his defensive and aerial game - no doubt areas where Borthwick wants to see improvement - while continuing to run in tries for a Bath side in top form, then a recall this summer seems possible.