Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Coronavirus sickener for Youngs
ENGLAND STAR COULD BE STRANDED ON 99 CAPS
BEN YOUNGS is being made to sweat on reaching his century of England caps by the deadly coronavirus outbreak causing such alarm around the world.
Eddie Jones’s senior player is two appearances short of his ton and will pick up one of those against Wales on Saturday assuming he is fit.
But there is a real danger he will then be marooned on 99
– England’s game in
Rome the following week is now looking unlikely to go ahead as Italy is Europe’s worst-affected country so far.
With Jones then not planning to involve his World Cup stars in England’s two-Test tour to Japan in July, Youngs could be left with an anxious wait until autumn to be enrolled in the 100 Club.
The Leicester star admitted: “There are plenty of people who have got near the 100 and something’s got in the way.
“I was speaking to Cian Healy after the Ireland game. He’s injured and out for the remainder of this championship on 98.
“I’ll take it week by week. The coronavirus is a hot topic across the world, isn’t it, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Youngs, 30, hit three figures of a sort last Sunday when he added England cap number 98 to his two Tests with the British and Irish Lions. Asked if he celebrated that, he said: “I didn’t, to be honest. I’m obviously aware of it but it would be nice to do it just for England.” Concern over the virus has grown with Friday’s announcement of the first person to be infected on UK soil – and in Japan of the first UK citizen to die after catching it on the cruise ship Diamond Princess.
Ireland’s home game against Italy on March 7 has been postponed, but English rugby’s chiefs say their position is unchanged from Wednesday when Six Nations organisers declared “all other matches are scheduled to go ahead as normal”.
The Italian sports minister will review coronavirus restrictions today, with further Six Nations reviews set for Paris this week.
England must assume Alun Wyn Jones and his Wales team are Twickenham-bound on Saturday – and aim to repeat the tour de force which floored Ireland.