For the moment, however, Hodgson, and Woodward, are merely relieved that the Sale playmaker is fit and able to take part in the challenges facing England on successive Saturdays in Dunedin, Auckland and Brisbane.
Injury has hit few players harder than Hodgson. He missed out on an England Under-16 cap when he broke his wrist in the final trial, and ill fortune has dogged him on every step of his subsequent sporting journey.
Just 21 when he marked his international debut in December 2001 with a record 44-point haul in a thrashing of Romania at Twickenham, Hodgson has since won only seven more caps - including four as a replacement.
A cruciate ligament rupture in his knee kept him out for eight months last year and cost him a World Cup place. He also missed the Six Nations campaign earlier this year with more injury trouble.
"My form has been a bit up and down in recent weeks, since I began my latest comeback," said Hodgson.
"But at least I have felt that things were getting better with each game and the big thing is that I'm going out on this tour feeling fresh and fitter than for some time. This trip represents a massive challenge for me, and the games will be the biggest of my career to date.
"But I have a chance to get back into the England set-up as a regular, and I am looking forward to it.
"Mentally, too, all my injury setbacks have made me stronger. Knowing you are going to be out for a long time, as I did early last year, is very difficult.
"But you have to come to terms with the rehabilitation process and I have learned not to look too far into the future. Concentrating on just what is immediately in front of you is actually a good thing for any sportsman. I have had a fair number of low points in recent years, but the day we won the World Cup was the lowest point because I knew I would have been involved in that had I been fit."
Hodgson, in fact, has missed out on the opportunity of appearing in more than 20 Tests since his England debut.
It is no use dwelling on all those missed chances, however.
It is the next three appearances he makes (injury permitting) that will shape just how good he can still become. Maybe, by 2007, even a world champion.
