Simmo’s situation remains unclear

DIRECTOR of Rugby, Rob Baxter, says he is continuing to monitor the fitness of Exeter Chiefs, England and British & Irish Lions star Sam Simmonds.

The all-action No.8 sat out last weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup clash with Munster at Thomond Park with a hip injury and it’s unlikely he will feature again this Sunday when the Chiefs resume their Gallagher Premiership campaign with a trip to Saracens (3pm).

In the aftermath of Exeter’s elimination from Europe, Baxter hinted that Simmonds could well feature between now and the end of the regular season on June 4.

He said: “It’s a hip/groin, a combination of a few things. He is sore, he is struggling to train really and that is the problem,” Baxter said.

“We can get him on the field but he is very limited training which, fitness-wise and performancewise, he is kind of on that downward spiral until we can sort this issue out..”

In his weekly media briefing yesterday, Baxter was again quizzed on the 27-year-old.

“We are still monitoring it,” he explained. “There are some treatment options, a lot more is going to be known this week. It doesn’t necessarily need to be season over for him, but we just need to assess everything correctly.”

Asked if Simmonds was now a doubt for the three-Test England series in Australia, Baxter added: “Without him getting all the consultants’ feedback, it’s at what level they think any intervention is required at this stage. So I don’t want to say he will definitely be back for England and I don’t want to say he will definitely be back for us at the end of the season because I don’t think it is as simple a prognosis as that.”