Jones turns to giant wing as injuries take toll on squad

EDDIE JONES has been forced into a reshuffle at England’s new year training camp, calling up giant wing Joe Cokanasiga and prop Henry Thomas after a swathe of injuries.

Five players have been ruled out of the get-together after the weekend Premiership games, meaning Jones has 31 in Brighton rather than the original 34.

Exeter Chiefs tight-head prop Harry Williams and winger Jack Nowell are out with concussion and an ankle knock respectively.

Northampton fly-half Piers Francis was also concussed after coming off worse in a clash of heads with Harlequins centre Jamie Roberts at Twickenham.

Bath pair Charlie Ewels and Jonathan Joseph are the other two who miss out. Lock Ewels has a hamstring issue and Joseph a dead leg.

Cokanasiga and Thomas have their chance to impress before the Six Nations squad is announced on January 18.

Uncapped Cokanasiga (right), the 6ft 4in, 17st 9lb winger who was born in Fiji but left the South Pacific when he was three, is just 20 and has only played five

Premiership games for London Irish.

Thomas’s seven caps all came from the bench between June 2013 and 2014 under Stuart Lancaster.

Despite the injuries, there was more positive news yesterday regarding Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola.

The Saracens stars are with England today and will be available for selection on Sunday when the European champions play Wasps.

It represents a remarkably quick turnaround from Itoje, who fractured his jaw in two places at the start of December and had metal plates inserted. George Ford, who is also training with England, bemoaned Leicester’s form. The Tigers lost to Exeter on Sunday, consigning them to their worst run since 1965 — six defeats in a row. They now sit ninth. ‘It isn’t going to be an easy fix or a snap of the fingers but I don’t think we are far away,’ he said. ‘We have done good things in games but not consistently enough. ‘It comes back to bite you. When we review games it is frustrating.’

But head coach Matt O’Connor was pleased with Manu Tuilagi, who played 76 minutes at Sandy Park.

‘He is a world-class player and will get better every time he plays,’ he said.

‘He was fine when he came off. It was a heavy pitch. He did a lot of work, a lot of physical collisions. It was just trying to look after him as best we can.’

There are also concerns surrounding George North at Northampton. On his comeback from injury he hurt the same left knee that kept him out for two months and he is being assessed.