Vunipola latest blow to England
England’s selection plans for the November rugby tests are in tatters after No 8 Billy Vunipola became the latest player to be ruled out, leading to a potential crisis in what is already a depleted back row.
The 25 year-old is to undergo immediate surgery on the arm fractured in Saracens’ Champions Cup win over Glasgow Warriors. His brother, loosehead prop Mako, is also in danger of missing the four tests against South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia with a calf problem sustained in the same match.
Young forward Nick Isiekwe is also in doubt with an ankle problem.
England coach Eddie Jones names his squad this week for the autumn programme. It was Vunipola’s third fracture of the year, this time to his left arm. There might be less empathy doing the rounds for Jones but even he must believe that he has spent the past few weeks jinking a black cat as a succession of players — Exeter’s Sam Simmonds and, in all probability, Nathan Hughes — have been removed from consideration at No 8. Hughes faces a likely ban at a disciplinary hearing this week.
England have greater playing resources than any and they are going to have to delve deep to come up with a back row that can cause the Springboks and All Blacks real problems. South Africa are also hampered by withdrawals, losing England-based players such as Sale Sharks halfback Faf de Klerk and Wasps fullback Willie le Roux due to the match falling outside the nominated test window and therefore not subject to World Rugby release directives.
Even so, England’s predicament 11 months out from the Rugby World Cup in Japan is significant. Jones cannot get his chosen XV out on the field at the same time. If it is not Billy Vunipola, who has made only three starts for England in almost two years, then it has been Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi who had to resort to a witch doctor in his native Samoa to find a cure for an accumulation of ailments.
At least Tuilagi (fingers crossed) is fit. Jones may have to sift beyond his normal reach to come up with a highend solution to the current situation.
A combo of Kiwi import Brad Shields, openside Tom Curry and promising Bath back-rower Zach Mercer could be the answer. Or a trio of Chris Robshaw and Michael Rhodes on the blindside with recalled Gloucester No 8 Ben Morgan (who has never featured under Jones, winning the last of his 31 caps in the 2015 World Cup) and Curry or Sam Underhill on the flank.
There are other more wild-card contenders such as Harlequins’ uncapped James Chisholm or a man with rather more proven pedigree, James Haskell.
Jones will also be working his way through his options at loosehead where an inauspicious set of circumstances appears to have robbed him of a world-class double-act in Joe Marler (retired) and Mako Vunipola, the latter invariably starting with the Harlequin bringing his substantial input to proceedings from the bench, or vice-versa.
Mako’s return from injury is indeterminate, according to Saracens. Jones also has two other looseheads, Ellis Genge of Leicester and Bath’s Beno Obano, on the crocked list. Exeter’s Alec Hepburn and Ben Moon are in line for a tour of duty while another hero of the Gloucester Shed, emerging prop Val Rapava-Ruskin, is rising up the pecking order.