The return of Ben Te’o is a rare shining light in England’s injury gloom and the Worcester centre has revealed he dug into his own pocket to fund a six‑week rehab programme in Australia and ensure he is fighting fit for the Six Nations Championship.

Te’o spent thousands of pounds to fly to Brisbane in December and team with two highly regarded former NRL colleagues, embarking on an intensive training regime and adopting a strict diet to boost his recovery from ankle surgery in October.

“It was important for me to go away. I didn’t mind picking up the tab because I know it is going to pay me back one day,” said Te’o, who has not played since sustaining his injury in Worcester’s Challenge Cup win against Brive on 14 October. “It was something I wanted to do. When you get injuries there is not just the physical side but the mental side as well. To come back really motivated and refreshed is a big plus. Physio, trainers, flights, food – we’re probably looking at thousands – but it’s worth it.”

The centre, who is 31 on Saturday, has revealed he is two kilograms lighter as a result but he still provides the kind of gain-line presence England lack without Billy Vunipola or Nathan Hughes, and when Eddie Jones was asked about Te’o this week he said: “He’s absolutely flying.”

Despite being named at inside centre for the first British & Irish Lions Test against New Zealand, Te’o has started only once for England – in the Six Nations victory against Italy last year. He is firmly in contention to make his second start against the Azzurri on 4 February, however, with Jones set to hand the No 13 jersey to either the former Samoa rugby league international or Jonathan Joseph.

Henry Slade would also have been in the mix but he is among a raft of players unavailable through injury – Jones may be without as many as 16 in Rome – but Te’o believes his 20,000‑mile round trip can kickstart his England career, having teamed with Rob Godbolt, the Queensland State of Origin physiotherapist, and the North Queensland Cowboys strength and conditioning coach, Andrew Croll.

“Being a little bit lighter is going to be good for getting around the field,” Te’o said. “The game is getting really fast now so if you can get a bit fitter and stronger in the collisions it will help. I needed to find some nice firm surfaces to run on. The weather was another factor and just getting right away. I knew I had some good guys over there who I could work with. I’ve done stuff like this before and I’ve always found it does pay me back eventually.

“I tidied up the diet and tried to drop a few kilos. This game’s not getting any slower and I need to keep up with the times. Sometimes when you’re rehabilitating at a club, there are other players too and you need to fit in. There it was all tailored for me.

“I was up about 6am, got brekkie, my treatment and physio then on to rehab running, have a break, do weights, have a break and then I was going to see a boxing trainer to get a bit of conditioning. You can only do so much on a lower limb as it would get swollen so boxing was the only thing I could do to try and trim a bit of fat off.”

Denny Solomona has emerged as the favourite to start on the right wing against Italy after training alongside Anthony Watson and Jonny May in the final session of England’s camp in Portugal on Friday. Solomona has won two England caps to date – both from the bench – but with Elliot Daly, Jack Nowell and Semesa Rokoduguni all out of action, and Mike Brown “borderline” to face Italy, the Sale wing is in line to get the nod.