Hooker Jamie George’s stellar season for Saracens may not have been enough to make the cut for England’s World Cup camp, but he’s been reassured by Red Rose forwards coach Graham Rowntree that he remains on the international radar.

On Wednesday George, 24, was one of the stars present at the Aviva Premiership Awards night at the Park Lane Hilton in London and it was for his tireless work off the field for which he was recognised.

He picked up the award for Aviva Community Player of the Year, having played a major role as a trustee of the Saracens Sport Foundation – which helps to improve the lives of many young people in the area.

That good work puts any England disappointment into perspective for George, whose tally of 205 tackles ranks the highest of any tight-five forward in Aviva Premiership Rugby this year.

And George insists that increased physicality can only stand him in good stead for future England selection, in a year that has saw him step up in place of an injured Schalk Brits.

“I had a phone call from Graham Rowntree who explained I was there or thereabouts and had a good season, and it's great to know I was in the mix, “said George, who is currently preparing for Saracens’ Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-final at Northampton Saints.

“We've got a real wealth of very good hookers in this country and I had to be on top of my game to be ahead of those guys, and unfortunately I wasn't quite there to make it.

“I'll keep trying to progress and hopefully it will happen in the future. I just need to focus on myself and it's a longer pre-season next time around, so I really need to get into the season firing - that's something that excites me.

“Overall I see this year a big success. One area that I worked on a lot was regards to my physicality, and there's no better way to do it than tackling.

“I got my head down and put in a lot of work, and I was made aware that I needed to do that over the last three or four years to reach where I am now.”

Also on the shortlist for Aviva Community Player of the Year was Bath Rugby’s Tom Dunn, Dan Murphy of Gloucester Rugby, London Irish-bound Dom Waldouck and Harlequin Dave Ward.

But George deservedly picked up the award after diving head first into a number of projects, including the ‘Get Onside’ initiative in Feltham Young Offenders Institute which is designed to help young people get back on track in life.

He also supports the Sarries Skills Club – a programme for severely autistic children – among many other projects, and George admits the experience is a humbling one.

“It’s been an amazing journey over the last few years, getting to know the programmes the foundation runs is truly quite special,” said George.

“It's something I'm very proud being a part of, and more time has gone on I realise how important a community programme is.

“There's a huge amount of lessons to be learned and it makes you very thankful for what you've got, “I feel like I've developed as a person through being involved in these programmes and I'll hope to continue to do that."

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