Hill first got an England call-up for the tour to South Africa in 2018 and, although he was named on the bench for the final Test of the series, did not feature.
Looking back at that experience, Hill said being an “apprentice” on that tour taught him a huge amount before making his debut in 2020.
“That experience was invaluable because two years on I made my debut and in those two years I was able to see what the best do on and off the pitch,” he said.
“In a day you’re only on the field training for less and an hour and half so there’s a lot of time between sessions.
“People like George Ford, Owen Farrell, Mike Brown, Ben Youngs and Chris Robshaw, who was captain – rubbing shoulders with those guys and seeing what they did.
“It was disappointing not to play on that tour but using it to my advantage and gaining knowledge on what these guys were doing between sessions to get better, I think that helped me on to the success I had two years later.”
