Alex Goode has revealed he has not heard from Eddie Jones for nearly two years but the Saracens full-back has not given up hope of forcing his way into England’s World Cup squad.

The 30-year-old was in magical form on Saturday, scoring one try and setting up another three as the champions romped to a fifth successive bonus-point win of the season, by 50-27, against an underpowered Bath side featuring 13 changes from the previous week.

In total he made 207 metres with five clean breaks, beating eight defenders in the kind of performance to which regulars at Allianz Park have grown accustomed. His last England cap came in November 2016 and he has not been selected in any of Jones’s squads since that autumn. But recent long-awaited recalls for Chris Ashton and Danny Cipriani – even if the latter is out in the cold again – demonstrate that, with the World Cup in Japan next year, the door is never closed.

“I was on the phone with him in December 2016,” Goode said. “He didn’t say too much. He just said I wasn’t in the squad and he didn’t think I was playing at a good enough level. You can’t let it grind you down or get too down about these things otherwise it just takes over all your thinking. I always want to represent England; that fire will never burn out. It is a privilege to do that and is something I want to do. I am on the outside but all I can do is keep working hard.”

Last season Jones started to employ Elliot Daly and Anthony Watson as pacy full-back alternatives to Mike Brown but Goode rejects the idea that he is either too slow or lightweight for international rugby. After the match on Saturday Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, praised his full‑back for his work behind the scenes to improve his speed and Goode revealed it has been paying off.

He said: “The last two years, having not been on tour, allowed me to have full pre-seasons both times and in both years – we saw it more the back end of last year and this year – this has allowed me to really work on my leg speed, power and acceleration through contact. Even at the tender age of 30 I’m still getting improvements. The GPS says I’m quicker this pre-season than I’ve ever been before.”