MAKO KO MAKES EDACHE WORSE
ENGLAND have been plunged into a full-blown injury crisis with the loss of Mako Vunipola for the entire autumn campaign.
Scans confirmed Eddie Jones’ first-choice prop has torn a calf muscle, taking to double figures the number of front-line Red Rose stars crocked.
With next-in-line Joe Marler recently retired and third-choice Ellis Genge injured, England find themselves with a major problem at loose-head prop.
Their plight was dire enough when Billy, the younger Vunipola, broke an arm at the weekend for a third time in 10 months. With No.8 rivals Nathan Hughes and Sam Simmonds out for the season and facing a ban respectively, Jones
(right) was left with a thumping headache.
It has since turned into a migraine, with
Chris Robshaw, Joe Launchbury and now
Billy’s big brother all falling by the wayside.
“Is it finally sinking in that our top rugby players simply can’t play and train at the level English rugby (club & country) wants them to?” tweeted Mirror columnist Matt Dawson.
“Is player welfare genuinely top of the agenda?” Jones today unveils his squad for next month’s Tests against South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia. He is expected to name 36 players to go to Portugal for a training camp next week. He might struggle to find that many. Missing from his backs are Jonathan Joseph, Dan Robson, Anthony Watson and Marland Yarde. But it is up front where the real carnage is with Beno Obano, Matt Mullan, Jonny Hill, Jack Willis KO’d – joined yesterday by Nick Isiekwe, sidelined for eight weeks by an ankle problem.
The good news for Jones came from Alex Lozowski’s disciplinary hearing where the Saracens midfielder was suspended for two weeks, so will be available when England face South Africa.
JTOULOUSE’S Jerome Kaino, given just a yellow card for an upright tackle which knocked out Bath’s Jamie Roberts, was yesterday banned for five weeks.