Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Itoje worry for England – but Kyle is good to go
ENGLAND received mixed news ahead of their pivotal Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland after Maro Itoje emerged as a doubt through illness at the same time as Kyle Sinckler was given the all-clear.
Itoje became unwell overnight and was unable to take part in yesterday’s captain’s run, resulting in replacement Joe Launchbury joining Bath’s Charlie Ewels in the second row for the week’s final practice session.
England are optimistic Itoje will recover in time for the Twickenham showdown, but cannot afford to lose a forward of his calibre if Andy Farrell’s men are to be toppled in the penultimate round of the annual tournament.
Forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has revealed that if the Saracens lock is unable to recover in time, then Launchbury will start alongside Ewels with Nick Isiekwe or Ollie Chessum stepping up to the bench.
Bristol prop Sinckler’s availability hinged on coming through a fitness check after being unable to train all week because of a back issue, but the tighthead has been cleared for the make-or-break title showdown.
Adding to the late disruption, Proudfoot’s fellow forward coach Richard Cockerill became the latest member of England’s camp to test positive for Covid and he will not be present at Twickenham today.
“Kyle fully trained. He had a great training session and looked really good,” Proudfoot said. “Maro was a little sick overnight so we’re giving him an opportunity to recover, but we’re optimistic he’ll be all right.”
Itoje sets the physical tone for
England, particularly in defence where he is a master of disruption, and his loss would leave a hole at the heart of their pack, but Proudfoot insists Launchbury would be a capable deputy.
“Maro’s a world class player and his X-factor is the amount of pressure he can apply. But we have a guy who has got 69 caps in Joe Launchbury and his speciality is the physicality he brings,” he said.
The rivals clash for the 139th time knowing that the losing side will be removed from title contention, while the winner will go on to challenge favourites France next weekend.
Even with the match being staged at Twickenham, bookmakers are backing Ireland to take victory and Proudfoot is braced for England’s biggest test since South Africa were toppled in the autumn.
“For us it’s a great opportunity to go after them. The team has trained really well and every week it’s got more competitive,” he said.
“We know we’ve got to go after them. Ireland have been together for a big part of the year because of their large Leinster contingent, so we know they have that as an advantage, but we’re eager for the opportunity.”