ROBSHAW FACES ANXIOUS WAIT TO LEARN SIX NATIONS FATE
England may face a crisis after Quins prop pulls up
ENGLAND fear a front-row injury crisis after Joe Marler was forced to pull out of Harlequins’ victory over Sale yesterday with a recurrence of his recent calf injury.
Eddie Jones is already resigned to being without Mako Vunipola — arguably the form loosehead in world rugby this season — for part if not all of the forthcoming Six Nations campaign. The England head coach was in Barnet yesterday, watching Saracens against Exeter, and by the time that match began he would have heard worrying news from the other side of London.
Marler had been unable to train with the national squad in Brighton because of the issue and his removal from the Quins line-up was just the scare Jones could have done without.
In Vunipola’s enforced absence with a knee injury, England were banking on the availability of the man who for so long kept Saracens’ Lion out of the Test No 1 shirt — Marler.
As an experienced international forward approaching 50 caps, the 26-yearold’s surge back towards peak form of late was a reassuring sight for the England coaches, after Marler opted to miss last summer’s tour of Australia following high-profile disciplinary dramas. Now, Jones and his assistants must wait and hope the damage to his calf will not keep him out of the opener against France at Twickenham on February 4.
Harlequins’ director of rugby John Kingston said: ‘He had a problem with his calf in the Big Game — he had a stamp on it. He was fit to play, just about, against Worcester and he got another belt on it. He came back from England at the start of the week, didn’t train with them and today he started to feel it in the warm-up. When you get into that situation you have to err on the side of caution. Joe had to make the decision for himself and it was good that he was honest about it.
‘There probably is some sort of strain on that calf and we might have a scan to check exactly what it was about. If you are talking Six Nations, I don’t expect that to be an issue at this stage.’
Jones will hope Kingston’s optimism is well-founded, though Marler’s injury increases the significance of events in Coventry today, where Jones will watch Wasps take on Leicester. His focus will be drawn to the battle of two looseheads with hopes of breaking into his side — Matt Mullan and Ellis Genge.
Mullan has been on the fringe of the national set-up for years and is experienced and respected. Genge is the coming force, a mobile, powerful, aggressive figure in the Tigers pack. He was left out of the England training squad last week and promptly channelled his frustration into a colossal display against Saracens at Welford Road.
Meanwhile, further details have emerged about Chris Robshaw’s injured shoulder. The Quins flanker has confirmed that it is a ligament problem and he will discover tomorrow whether the best course of action involves surgery or rest. The former would lead to a 10-week recovery, which would put him out of the championship entirely, whereas the latter would entail a four or fiveweek absence, meaning he could be fit in time for the round-three clash with Italy at Twickenham.
Either way, Jones will be losing one of the stalwarts of his England revival but on the plus side, this afternoon he will see the return of Wasps flanker James Haskell after a six-month recovery from toe surgery. The flanker is among the replacements and may have a chance of going head-to-head with another Test back-row candidate, Mike Williams.
In the second row, what was looming as an injury crisis has swiftly eased, as Wasps expect Joe Launchbury to be fit again next week. George Kruis, who has a broken cheekbone, is targeting a return for Saracens against Toulon on January 21. If those two are available, along with Courtney Lawes, who was again outstanding for Northampton yesterday, the national coaches will be sorely tempted to switch Maro Itoje to blindside flanker.
Even without Robshaw, England have abundant options in that area, with Haskell, Tom Wood, Teimana Harrison and Williams also vying for places.