Farrell gives England an injury scare
● Jones hopeful goal-kicker will be passed fit after limping out of training ahead of clash with Scotland
Just as England were revelling in the recall of Billy Vunipola to the match squad to face Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday, another mighty man of Saracens was giving the record-chasing Six Nations champions a scare by going lame in training yesterday.
Owen Farrell needed treatment to his left leg before he limped out of the morning session, and considering that is the standing limb used by England’s most reliable goal-kicker, who has accumulated 233 points during their 17-match winning run that dates back to October 2015, it was easy to understand why the 50-cap defensive rock at inside centre was the main topic of conversation with the head coach, Eddie Jones, soon afterwards.
“He’s got a bad leg, so he couldn’t finish training,” said Jones. “He’s in doubt but we’ll see. He should be right.” Asked the cause of the injury, the voluble Australian first favoured what appeared to be a small shaggy dog story – literally, by suggesting his little white Papillon named Annie had got off her leash – before tempering it to something more like sense. “He [Farrell] just ran 0 England goal-kicker Owen Farrell had head coach Eddie Jones, inset, sweating on his fitness last night after he required treatment to a leg injury having failed to complete a training session. of history-making glories if they can defeat the Scots this weekend and Ireland in Dublin on 18 March: a worldrecord sequence of 19 straight victories and England’s first back-to-back Grand Slam since 1992.
The word around the camp is of much harder graft over the past two weeks than might normally have been expected three-fifths of the way through a Six Nations.
George Ford would be the nominated goal-kicker if Farrell fails to start, and the Bath stand-off’s last outing in that role did not go well, with missed shots sprayed from all over Twickenham against Wales last May – the only match that Farrell has missed under Jones’ regime.
There would also need to be a choice made between Saracens’uncappedalexlozowski or Exeter back Henry Slade to join Jones’s “finishers” on the bench – and remember “finishers” can be near-enough starters if someone falls over early.
Vunipola’s presence among what most spectators and World Rugby still prefer to refer to as the “replacements” is a huge fillip, even if the No 8 who, like Farrell, was nominated for world player of the year in 2016, is not ready for 80 minutes’ duty, having done 72 for his club at Newcastle last Sunday to end three months out with a knee injury.
“It was a bit of excitement for me, having one of the greatest No 8s in world rugby coming back,” said Nathan Hughes, England’s incumbent in the middle of the back row. “We are pushing each other to get the nod and training well together and it will show on the weekend.”
Whatever the nomenclature for England’s reserves, they look witheringly strong, while Jones made three changes to the run-on XV, with the reinstatement of Jack Nowell, Jonathan Joseph and Ben Youngs at right wing, outside centre and scrum-half respectively. All concerned were watched in training yesterday by the British and Irish Lions’ head coach Warren Gatland, who later was seen having a long chat with Jonny Wilkinson, England’s been-there, done-that kicking advisor.
This is a role the Lions have yet to fill, but while putting two and two together to make a tour for Wilkinson to New Zealand this summer is tempting, it may be unwise after some observers read too much into a whiteboard featuring England players’ names left at pitchside earlier this week.