"I was brought up in New Zealand and I'm proud of where I come from," Hape told the Bath Chronicle. "But I'm proud to be an Englishman as well and have dual nationality. I was expecting a bit more resistance from friends and family, but they are all behind me."

Hape also revealed that he almost didn't call England boss Johnson back when he received a voicemail message from him on Tuesday. "I didn't know whether someone was playing a prank," he said. "I definitely didn't expect it. When I came to Bath 18 months ago it was all about learning the game. This is a big bonus and a great honour. I'm just humbled by it all. It still hasn't sunk in that I'm in the squad. I'm made up. But it's a first step. Being in the squad is one thing, actually playing international rugby is another. I'm looking forward to the challenge and it's one that I'm going to relish.

"It's that time of year when clubs look to bring in new players and everyone is shopping around. I am getting many phone calls from agents every day," he told The Worcester News. "I have a number of meetings lined up for next week with different agents. Some are to retain the players we already have, while some are to look at other guys.

"We signed a great recruit in Luke the other week and are closing in on a number of other top-class, top-quality players of a similar standard. I don't want to give the game away too much and alert other clubs, so I can't give out any names, but I can assure you there is a lot of work going on to get some quality guys in."

"Trust me, it will not be happening," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I spoke to Rod Macqueen (Rebels boss) and he's not interested. No one's interested. I think Sam Ayoub's just trying to up his ante. Johnathan Thurston is not the sort of person we're looking for."

Meanwhile, Rocky Elsom, who recently signed a one-year-deal with the ACT Brumbies, has played down reports linking him with a move to the Rebels. "I haven't even joined the Brumbies yet, so next year isn't even on the radar. And I'm really looking forward to this season. I want to make sure I get absolutely everything I can out of it," the Wallaby flanker said in the same paper.

"I think as far as them showing interest in players like myself and Berrick Barnes, well, I think a lot of off-contract players would expect [that] they show interest because they don't have any players yet. You could cast that net pretty wide - every player is a target when you don't have a roster at all. Every player is an option… the club's not just signing five or six guys, they're signing 30 - so it's a big ask."

Williams is well aware that he can no longer take his place in the starting line-up for granted and believes that, given the competition for places, just getting into the provisional panel, which is set to be named on Monday, will be an achievement in itself.

"Warren always traditionally picks a small squad, so it's a case of keeping my fingers crossed," the 34-year-old Lions ace told The Western Mail. "I'm desperate to be involved with the squad. That's my goal first and foremost and then it's about trying to nail a starting place down through training.

"With the young players coming through, we'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully the coaches will think I've still got something to offer. As you get older, you are obviously looking over your shoulder more and there seem to be more players coming through every year. But what you also learn as you get older is you can't really bog yourself down with that. Selection to a large degree is out of your hands. You can be absolutely on fire, but if you are not the type of player the coaching staff want then there's not much you can do about it."

"The problem is that it is hard to see England playing Steve Borthwick and Lawes, when that would leave the second row short on the kind of scrummaging muscle needed behind the tighthead prop," Edwards wrote in his column for The Guardian. "A better pairing would be Lawes and Simon Shaw, who, based on his Lions form and the difference he made during limited time he played in the autumn, has to be a shoo-in. However, that in turn leaves questions about the lineout as well as Borthwick's captaincy."

Indeed, Edwards claimed that he would not be surprised if Johnson opts for a change in leadership during this year's Championship. "If I had a few bob to spare I'd check the odds on Lewis Moody leading out England at least once this Six Nations," he said.

The New Zealand Herald reports that the ageing west stands at Christchurch's AMI Stadium have been replaced by the modern three-tiered Deans Stand that takes the seated capacity of the stadium to 38,628 , and provides "international quality". The capacity will be boosted to 45,000 with temporary seating during the world cup, when Christchurch will host five pool matches and two quarter-finals.