‘You learn a lot about yourself in defeat. Failure isn’t final, it’s how you change and adapt.’ Dan Cole’s evaluation of England’s recent revival is also true of his own journey back to the Test arena.

The cornerstone of England’s scrum for eight years failed to make Eddie Jones’s squad for the autumn internationals and was sent back to Leicester after being told to work on other areas of his game.

On Friday, however, he was restored to England’s match-day 23 having been named on the bench for Sunday’s Six Nations showdown against France at Twickenham.

Dan Cole has earned a place on the England bench for their Six Nations clash against France

‘It feels fantastic,’ he said of his inclusion, ‘really good. It’s been good to just be involved in the setup.

‘The team, since I was last involved, had a great autumn series, the Ireland game… the team is really building and you just want to be part of a side that is successful. I’m just grateful to be here.’

The 82-cap veteran, who has not played for England since Ireland claimed the Grand Slam at Twickenham last March, has had to graft in recent months to force his way back into the fold.

He has earned plaudits for his club performances and his impact in the loose, an area of his game he was told to develop, has seen a notable improvement.

Cole, pictured here with Ellis Genge, is one of a number of strong front-row options

‘I was sent away in the summer and told to improve in certain areas; ball carrying, be more effective around the field, that kind of stuff,’ he added.

‘You work on it, you hope you get better at it but those are the things you’ve got to do. You’re told to improve for a reason.

‘It’s always about trying to get better and change. You can’t stand still because there are more than enough good players in England to take your spot.’

Cole has had to focus on adapting to the demands of the modern game during his months of toil at Welford Road.

It has not been a complete re-invention by any stretch, but the subtle changes will certainly help him cope with the rigours of Jones’s ever-changing setup.

‘Eddie is always pushing things, trying to make things better, learn from different areas and that’s what they’ve done,’ Cole added.

The Leicester Tigers tighthead has worked on subtle improvements in his all-round game

‘The training has evolved since the last time I was involved. Every camp you go into there’s something new going on, maybe a new face or idea that comes in, nothing is ever the same.’

One constant, however, is the threat of the vaunted French pack. Sunday’s encounter promises to be a brutal affair, given the size of both squads, but the nuances in the set piece are where England will hope Cole shines.

‘England-France are always tough games, good games,’ the tighthead said. ‘It’s one of those games you get excited for. There’s great history between the sides and you want to be part of it.

‘France have always had strong forward packs. You look at the sides last week and this week and they want to be physical.

‘They’re a good set-piece side and when you play France you’ve got to be aware of that and try to nullify those threats.’

Cole may have a newly-expanded repertoire in open play, but his ability to deal with the best in the business at scrum time will be as important as ever this weekend.

Marcus Rashford has won the Premier League Player of the Month award for his superb performances in January. 

The Manchester United striker has been rejuvenated under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and scored three times in six matches.  

‘It’s always good to pick up individual awards but I think the way we’ve performed as a team has been very good over the last few weeks,’ the 21-year-old reflected on the club’s website.

Marcus Rashford won the Premier League Player of the Month award for January

‘The aim for us now is to just continue it, but we have to take it game by game and one step at a time.

And to make the step up to become world class, Rashford believes he must maintain the high level he has demonstrated so far in 2019. 

‘I think the consistency. I’ve always said that’s the difference between the best players in the world and good players. 

‘In football, the fact that you can repeat it time and time again, season upon season, is the big difference between the two categories of players.

The striker carried his form from January into February and wants to keep up the momentum

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was named Manager of the Month

‘Consistency is something you always want to improve and, for a young player, it can be difficult but I think over the last two months we’ve got it right,’ he added. 

There has been a significant upturn in fortunes under Solskjaer and the Norwegian was awarded Manager of the Month. 

In January, Rashford was voted Man of the Match twice by supporters, once against Newcastle in the 2-0 away win and again against Brighton in a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. 

The Brighton game marked another milestone for Rashford as it was his 150th appearance for his boyhood club. 

No doubt the striker, who has been keeping Romelu Lukaku on the bench, will be desperate to help fire United into the Champions League places by the end of the season.  

Rashford scored three times in six matches as United enjoyed a sensational month

Paul Scholes is poised to become the new manager of Oldham Athletic after receiving clearance from the English Football League.

The Manchester United legend co-owns National League outfit Salford City along with five of his former Red Devils team-mates.

EFL rules prevent a person holding roles with two clubs at the same time without the prior consent of the board. 

Paul Scholes has been cleared to become the new manager of Oldham Athletic

Oldham have targeted the former England midfielder to be their new boss since sacking Frankie Bunn in December. 

The main obstacle to his appointment was his 10 per cent stake in Salford but the matter has now been resolved and he is free to manage the club he supported growing up. 

The 44-year-old, a BT pundit, also confirmed last week that he would be prepared to give up his media work if it meant that he could return to football.

Scholes’ involvement with National League side Salford City had proven to be an obstacle

‘The media stuff I have half-enjoyed doing it but it’s not the same as being involved with a club every day,’ he said.

‘When you leave school after 20 years, you want to achieve something and I feel like that’s been lost in the last four to five years.’ 

Scholes has previously spoken of his desire to enter into management, his only professional experience coming as part of Ryan Giggs’ backroom team in 2014.