BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL?
Big Billy is crocked but England insist they can cope without him
ENGLANd have issued a statement of confidence in their cover for Billy Vunipola as the No8 awaits results of a scan on his ankle.
Should England’s worst fears be confirmed, there is no specialist cover in the 31-man squad but Tom Curry, Mark Wilson and Lewis Ludlam have all filled in at training.
With passage to the quarterfinals already secure, England are highly unlikely to risk Vunipola in Saturday’s pool match against France, but the greater concern is his fitness for next week’s knock-out clash.
No other players in the pack possess Vunipola’s ball-carrying ballast so Eddie Jones can ill afford to lose the injury-prone 26-year-old.
Wilson is the only player who has started a Test in the No 8 jersey, while Curry stepped into the role when Vunipola withdrew at half-time during Saturday’s victory over Argentina.
‘We will know a lot more on Tuesday and he did have a scan as a precaution,’ said scrum coach Neal Hatley. ‘He’s up and around, walking. He hasn’t been on crutches, a mobility scooter or anything like that. I don’t want to say anything too early. We’re not going to rush these things.
‘We knew coming into the tournament how we would have to move people around so we have trained accordingly with the different back rows.
‘Mark Wilson has played a lot of eight for us, Tom Curry has played a bit, all of these plans have been in place. Wils played the whole of the autumn for us there at No 8 and was probably one of our stand-out players. Lewis Ludlam has played there a little bit. We’re a team of 31 and we’ve got trust and faith in everyone’s ability.’
In Vunipola’s absence, Eddie Jones may decide to compensate by selecting alternative players known for busting over the gain-line.
Joe Cokanasiga offers similar Pacific Island power on the wing, while prop Ellis Genge is nicknamed the ‘ baby rhino’ for the way he swats off defenders.
In previous campaigns, Nathan Hughes has been the closest to a like- for- like replacement for Vunipola but the Bristol No 8 was left out of Jones’ final squad.
‘We have got Ellis Genge, Mako Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes and Kyle Sinckler who can pick up the slack when Billy doesn’t play,’ added Hatley.
‘Tom has got the ability to carry the ball like someone who is probably five or six kilos heavier.’
England have vowed to approach Saturday’s Test with full intensity, despite the fact the loser should avoid the daunting prospect of a semi-final against the No 1 ranked All Blacks.
England’s football team found themselves in a similar position at last year’s World Cup and, in a similar vein to Gareth Southgate, their rugby counterparts are likely to rest some key players.
‘We had Gareth in for two days but we didn’t really talk about that,’ revealed Hatley. ‘ You get momentum from winning and we want to win all the games. No team has ever won a World Cup having lost a pool game. ‘France is a traditional enemy and we want to beat them. England playing France — I can’t imagine anyone not taking that full- on serious, 100mph. We want to top the pool and this game puts us top of the pool.’