Cokanasiga could miss England opener
Joe Cokanasiga is in a race to recover from injury in time for England’s opening match of the Six Nations against Grand Slam champions Ireland.
Eddie Jones’s side begin their 2019 campaign in Dublin on Feb 2 and have not won in the Irish capital since 2013. Now they could be without breakthrough star Cokanasiga for the Six Nations opener.
The Bath wing, 21, appeared to damage his knee in the 79th minute of Bath’s 17-10 defeat by Leinster on Saturday in the Champions Cup. He was helped from the field and faces more than a month on the sidelines while his medial ligament heals.
“He’s got a grade two medial ligament [injury], which happened near the end of the game,” explained Todd Blackadder, the Bath director of rugby.
“It’s unfortunate for Joe. That could be anything from two to six weeks. We’re just waiting to hear back from the specialists and to get some confirmation on it.
“It could [put his Six Nations in doubt]. We thought it was a little one and he would be out for one or two weeks but it was upgraded. We don’t quite know – it could put him out for one or two more.”
Cokanasiga has been ruled out of Bath’s return fixture at the Aviva Stadium this weekend, his setback halting a promising season. Having made a try-scoring Test debut against Japan in November, Cokanasiga also crossed the whitewash during England’s 37-18 victory over Australia the following weekend.
However, he now joins Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson on Bath’s list of backline casualties.
“These things happen in rugby,” Blackadder added. “It seems to happen a lot and it seems to be freakish sort of stuff, too. It’s part and parcel of the game.”
In better news for Blackadder and England, Joseph may feature for Bath by the end of the year following his long lay-off after foot surgery. Bath’s Wales duo of Taulupe Faletau (fractured forearm) and Rhys Priestland (adductor strain) are also in line to return before the end of December.
Fly-half Johnny Sexton, of this weekend’s opponents Leinster, has signed a contract extension with the Irish Rugby Football Union until the end of the 2020-21 season.