Ford back ‘pretty soon’ for England
BUT TIGERS FLY-HALF COULD MISS FINAL SIX NATIONS MATCH
GEORGE Ford is expected back in England action “pretty soon” according to assistant coach John Mitchell, but doubts remain over whether he will be fit to face Italy in the Six Nations at the end of the month,
writes Rory Dollard of PA Sport.
The Leicester Tigers fly-half withdrew from the squad that faces the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday with what the RFU described as a “preexisting Achilles issue”, leaving Owen Farrell and Piers Francis as the only capped number 10s available to Eddie Jones.
While shuffling the starting XV for this weekend’s low-key international is no real concern, it is unclear whether Ford will be ready to return to the fold for the Guinness Six Nations clash in Italy.
Mitchell did not shed much light on the Tigers star’s prognosis but stopped short of ruling him out of the trip to Rome on October 31.
“Fordy has got a slight ankle problem that’s obviously being managed,” he said.
“Clearly we expect him back and in preparation pretty soon, but it’s important to manage these guys so we get them back at 100 per cent.
“We’re aware of the injury and we’re managing it.
“At the moment he’s in a position of rehabbing and reconditioning and we’ll take the next step post getting through that period.”
England have been able to add Bristol trio Kyle Sinckler,
Ben Earl and Max Malins to their group after the
Bears were removed from standby as potential participants in the Gallagher Premiership final.
Meanwhile, England’s game against the Barbarians on Sunday has been plunged into doubt after the RFU revealed several BaaBaas players breached coronavirus protocols.
The RFU claims an unknown number of players left the team hotel without permission or informing organisers of their whereabouts on Wednesday evening. After their return, they were separated from the rest of the group in the bubble.
The RFU says even if there was a further round of Covid-19 testing on the players who left the bubble, there would be no guarantees that they are not infectious in the period up to and including the match. A decision will be made about whether the match can go ahead by 3pm today, but those who have breached protocols have been forbidden from participating in Sunday’s fixture. The RFU said: “To protect the safety of other participants, these players cannot be permitted to remain with the Barbarians squad and play in the fixture.”