Nick Easter has told England head coach Stuart Lancaster he is ready to step into World Cup action if required.

The 37-year-old lost out to Ben Morgan for a place in the original squad, but a knee injury to the Gloucester number eight will see him sit out Saturday’s crunch Pool A clash with Wales at Twickenham.

Wasps captain James Haskell takes a place on the bench in his absence.

Easter has moved on from the disappointment of failing to make Lancaster’s final 31-man squad for the tournament.

But returning to Quins has eased the pain and he says he is ready and willing to answer an emergency call should it come.

“It happens in professional sport. If you get injured, it’s a disappointment, if you don’t get selected, it’s a disappointment,” he said.

“Obviously missing out on Rugby World Cup selection is the biggest disappointment, but you also have the highs of being selected and playing well.

“In the end, I know I did all I could do in the games and training. I pushed the selectors’ decision to the 11th hour and they decided to go with Ben.”

He added: “I had a bad day or two, receiving bad luck messages and the like. I didn’t really sulk, it was more anger.

“It’s a case of getting on with it, taking a week off and getting back in with Quins and enjoying the atmosphere here.

“Anything can happen in the tournament so you have to be ready.”

Easter claimed England’s 35-11 win over Fiji on Friday left room for improvement.

Wales beat Uruguay 54-9 on Sunday and will come up against Sam Burgess and Owen Farrell at rugby HQ, in place of Jonathan Joseph and George Ford.

Easter admitted fans may be concerned about weaknesses in the England performance, but also he insists there is plenty to be positive about.

He said: “It was the perfect game against Fiji. You don’t want to hit perfect form in your first game, especially with the hard games coming up in the group as well as the knockout stages.

“To get the bonus point bang on 80 minutes made a big difference to the changing room, it probably gave them a big lift.

“People might be writing off their chances because they are concerned about a few areas, but a week is a long time in sport and they will work on what needs improving and be primed for what’s going to be a huge occasion this weekend.”

* Nick Easter is backing Aviva Premiership Rugby First Timers, a joint initiative from Premiership Rugby and Aviva to give 2,000 new rugby fans their first taste of the Aviva Premiership. First Timers can apply for free tickets this season at premiershiprugby.com/avivafirsttimers.