A Yarde away from WC selection
Chris Robshaw climbs to take Rob Webber's throw. England's driving line-out maul creaks to within 10 metres of the line on the left hand side of the field. Ben Morgan slips the ball to Danny Care, who looks to snipe before pulling back a pass off his right hip.
Marland Yarde must reach behind himself to catch it. His momentum momentarily evaporates. However, the wing accelerates explosively, lacerating the New Zealand defence to dive over.
The man Yarde comprehensively beats on the way to a stunning try – his third in four internationals – is All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, an icon appearing in the 126th Test of a glittering international career. With Owen Farrell's conversion, England go 10-0 up.
The escapades of last year seem like disproportionately distant memories, not least because New Zealand stormed back to win this second Test 27-26 and secured a series whitewash the next weekend with a destructive display in Hamilton in 2014.
For Yarde, who celebrated the aforementioned score ecstatically, a moment of unadulterated euphoria is a speck in the rear 
view mirror. Over the ensuing year, he has managed just two further caps – both as a replacement during the November Internationals against Australia and Samoa. There was not a single minute of game-time across Six Nations.
This can partly be attributed to the fact that Yarde's close-season move from London Irish to Harlequins did not yield immediate success. Conor O'Shea's side struggled and slipped out of the title running. A frustrated Yarde lost form and found finishing opportunities hard to come by. In early January, he had only added three tries from nine Premiership matches – all of them in clashes with relegation shoo-ins London Welsh.
So recently the flavour of the month that tormented the All Blacks, Yarde was out in the cold. Though he did not turn 23 until mid-April, the St Lucia-born speedster is not too proud to open up on a stinging set-back to his self-esteem.
"I probably underestimated how difficult it would be to move teams," he admits with impressive honesty.
"That is in terms of settling in and working with different players – reacting off them and working out how they want to play. It was more difficult than I anticipated, but as the season went on I felt my general game came on as well.
"The New Zealand tour seems quite a long way away now. Not being named in that squad for the Six Nations really hit home because it was the first time in a couple of years where I'd been fit but not been included.
"It's been a learning period for me. It was disappointing not to play in those games in the autumn and then the Six Nations but at the same time it's sort of given me a chance to up my game.
"I want to be staking a claim to be wearing that shirt and I've been working really hard over the last few months to be back where I am now."
Thankfully for Yarde, the hurt of seeing Stuart Lancaster hand starts to Jonny May, Semesa Rokoduguni, Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell translated into something constructive. He would collect five more five-pointers from the final 10 outings of Harlequins' domestic campaign. Reinforcing irresistible raw materials of pace and power, only eight others completed the season with more tries.
Such qualities convinced Lancaster to name Yarde in his 50-strong training squad for the World Cup. Just five days later, his decision was vindicated. The end-of-season Barbarians fixture can often descend into a loose, lacklustre affair. This year though, a potentially career-defining carrot focused the hosts at Twickenham.
An electric hat-trick saw Christian Wade garner plenty of plaudits from a 73-12 thrashing of England's invitational opponents, but Yarde ignited proceedings by sprinting home for the first of the team's 10 scores. Underlining an outstanding first half, he then set up Wade's opening two efforts – first aiming a neat grubber infield for the Wasp to collect before bursting through midfield and throwing a slick, 15-metre pass.
Citing O'Shea's "massively encouraging" presence as a factor in a rapid resurgence, Yarde is approaching the current training camp in Denver with the same determination that has seen him haul himself back onto the England radar.
"[Time out of the side] has given me time to reflect on what I need to do, how I can develop. I think from where I was 12 months ago to where I am now, I definitely feel better.
"I needed to get myself back on track and learn quickly. I feel that the second half of the season went really well. I showed some of my best qualities and that’s what I’ll be looking to do from here.
"Now it's up to me to go as best as I can in training to get back in that starting team."
Every spot in Lancaster's group of 31 for the tournament will be fought over ferociously. The recent omissions of Maro Itoje, Ed Slater, Stephen Myler and Elliot Daly highlight as much. Given six wings – Chris Ashton, as well as May, Nowell, Rokoduguni, Watson and Yarde – remain in the 45-player party to cross the Atlantic, each will be under especially intense scrutiny.
The graduation from carefree tyro into grounded, consistent performer is a tough one that many fledgling sportsmen need to make. Fielding one final question on the prospect of reaching the World Cup, Yarde grins. A mature, eloquent answer speaks volumes for his progress over the past year.
"I've been told the experience of a World Cup is impossible to describe unless you've been there yourself. When it's a home one too, it becomes something you share with your family and friends.
"Our fans are all there in the same country, wanting the same thing – for us to do really well. It's not that often that you get that opportunity."
Yarde has battled hard to get this chance to write another chapter in his England story. It could well be the most spectacular one yet.
@EnglandRugby
