Hughes times his return to perfection
WITH the impeccable timing of one of his trademark pick-and-goes from the base of a scrum, Nathan Hughes has declared himself fit for England’s Calcutta Cup mission in Edinburgh on Saturday.
The Wasps No8 has returned from a knee ligament injury in double-quick time just as Sam Simmonds joins Billy Vunipola on the stricken list after he damaged his shoulder against Wales.
“Nathan has worked really hard, really diligently, and he looks in really good shape. He has healed very fast, which is great,” said the England forwards coach Steve Borthwick.
Two years ago, Vunipola would have been considered irreplaceable as he harvested man-of-the-match accolades against Scotland, Ireland and France and started all three of the victorious Tests in Australia.
But last year injuries limited him to only two appearances in an England jersey, just as Fiji-born Hughes began to make his charge having qualified on the residency rule. “Nathan’s an outstanding ball carrier, but he’s grown as a player in terms of the influence he has as a leader,” said Borthwick.
“The level of his performances continues to rise and there’s still a lot of potential to develop.
“With all our players, we’re trying to see how they develop and grow. Other players have grown into strong leaders. We want to build that leadership density within our player group.” That nurturing environment, as much as Eddie Jones’ record of one defeat in 25 Tests, is attracting coaches and captains from all over the world to England’s Pennyhill Park base.
Gareth Southgate, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, former cricket skipper Alastair Cook and the Australia netball coach Lisa Alexander have already paid a visit, and today a footballing quartet of Les Ferdinand, David Moyes, Stuart Pearce and Hope Powell will be on the sidelines.
GARRY RINGROSE has recovered from an ankle injury to give Ireland coach Joe Schmidt an added option in midfield for Saturday’s visit of Wales in the absence of Robbie Henshaw, who has a shoulder problem.