RFU embarrassed as Vunipola is kept away amid coronavirus fear
Concern after England prop’s Hong Kong visit Confusion over whether player has ‘self-isolated’
The Rugby Football Union was left red-faced last night after Mako Vunipola was hastily withdrawn from the England squad to face Wales over coronavirus fears while conflicting claims circulated over whether the prop had gone into self-isolation.
Vunipola was named in a 34-man training squad to face Wales on Monday morning. Yet just hours before the squad was due to assemble at Pennyhill Park in Surrey on Monday lunchtime, the England management learnt that Vunipola had flown home from Tonga via Hong Kong, a hotspot for the disease. Vunipola will miss the Six Nations match against Wales on Saturday and almost certainly England’s final game against Italy on 14 March.
The RFU yesterday indicated that Vunipola had been placed into self-isolation, yet confusion and farce reigned last night as Saracens revealed he had come into the club and trained with the first-team squad yesterday. Clearly club and country have a very different approach to risk management. Government guidelines state anyone who has been to Hong Kong and displayed symptoms should self isolate for at least 14 days.
England and Saracens insist the loosehead prop has not displayed any symptoms of the disease and it would appear the RFU is taking an overly cautious approach. Yet questions will be raised as to how close a potentially infectious carrier came to entering the England camp, which could have derailed their entire Six Nations campaign.
Two weeks ago, Vunipola returned to Tonga after a relative was taken seriously ill. After Vunipola missed the 24-12 victory against Ireland, England head coach Eddie Jones last week said that he would not return in time for the Wales match. However, it would appear that the Rugby Football Union were caught unaware by Vunipola’s travel plans. There are no direct flights between Tonga and London. Rather than fly via Hong Kong or Singapore, another city which has suffered an outbreak of the disease, Vunipola could have flown back via Auckland and the United States, thus not risking infection.
Even if Vunipola was responsible for his own travel arrangements, the lack of advance planning reflects poorly upon England’s logistics department. Just last week, the RFU were advising players about infection control and limiting contact with children during a visit to a school in Oxford.
Part of the problem is that Covid-19 can be transmitted by carriers who show no symptoms. It is estimated that 322 of the 621 people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship stationed outside Yokohama in Japan tested positive while remaining asymptomatic.
The RFU also insist that Vunipola never entered the camp. Had he done so then he risked infecting the entire squad, which could easily have led to the postponement of the fixtures against Wales and Italy. Part of the confusion stems from the mixed messages from yesterday’s media briefing.
Matt Proudfoot, the forwards coach, initially claimed that Vunipola was absent because of a “medical matter” and told a broadcaster that he was “sick”. He later denied that he had been quarantined. “I can guarantee you it is not coronavirus,” Proudfoot said. Only later did an RFU spokeswoman confirm that Vunipola’s absence was in relation to the coronavirus, albeit as a precautionary measure. “Mako Vunipola is not in the camp on medical grounds,” a spokeswoman said. “He is not sick, but it is a precaution.”
Fortunately from England’s perspective, loosehead prop is probably their strongest position for strength in depth. The combination of Joe Marler and Ellis Genge ensures that England will suffer no significant drop-off in quality because of Vunipola’s absence.
“We were excited to have him [Vunipola] back, he is a great presence and a very experienced player, but we have great depth in our looseheads and they have been playing well,” Proudfoot said. “We will give the guys a go who were there. He is a world-class player, but the guys have been doing a great job.”
Both players were included in an updated 27-man squad to face Wales, which also featured back row Mark Wilson and full-back Anthony Watson. Wilson has recently returned to action for Sale Sharks after knee surgery. Watson, meanwhile, has yet to feature in the Six Nations this year having been troubled by a calf injury.