Injury scare for England ahead of Monday's World Cup squad reveal
England are confident that Tom Curry will play a role in their build-up to the Rugby World Cup as he recovers from a twisted ankle. Curry sustained the injury in training this week and will be sidelined for up to a fortnight, potentially ruling him out of the opening two matches of the Summer Nations Series which begins against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
The Sale flanker is a certainty to be picked in Steve Borthwick’s World Cup squad when it is announced on Monday, but England will take no risks with the fitness of one of their most influential players.
“We are very hopeful (he will play this month). We don’t think it will be too long, but we will be smart with him as well,” defence coach Kevin Sinfield said.
Any concern over Henry Arundell’s hamstring injury has lifted after the explosive wing made a return to full training on Thursday.
England play the first of two Tests against Wales at the Principality Stadium fielding a line-up populated with players who are on the fringe of World Cup selection.
Only Freddie Steward, Marcus Smith, Danny Care, Ellis Genge and Will Stuart are assured of their places in the 33-man squad, while the others are hoping to make a final impression on Borthwick. Sinfield, however, has downplayed the trial element of the visit to Cardiff as England look to build winning momentum.
“First and foremost, it’s a Test match. I’m sure some players will have selection in the back of their minds, but we want to show how we have improved,” Sinfield said.
“It would be unfair to say it’s all on this game because it’s not. We have got to take into account the last eight weeks, how players have performed throughout the season and exactly what we need going forward.
“There are some wonderful players who will miss out, sadly, because we can’t take everybody. We will try to get to the right place with the right balance within the squad.”
One player who has been making waves this summer is Northampton’s all-action back row Tom Pearson, whom Genge insisted trains in the same we he plays – “like a man possessed”.
Pearson makes his debut on Saturday with a real chance of securing a place at the World Cup despite his inexperience.
“Tom has been outstanding. We have all seen his physicality and how he plays the game and his explosive nature with London Irish last season. We’re all looking forward to seeing him play and he’s been excellent in camp,” Sinfield said.
Latest Comments
Brumbies are looking good and if they keep their home form up a final is not beyond the realms of possibility. They showed against the Hurricanes exactly how clinical they can be as they absorbed pressure in that contest while also scoring points and applying their own pressure. Reds are well placed as well but need to find consistency. They are building a longer term project with a young side and plenty of quality players. Been surprising to see the strength of Aussie sides this year after the debacle of the world cup. Have NZ sides gotten weaker? Have Aussie sides gotten stronger? A bit of both I would say. Whatever the case its good to see some actual competition between NZ and Aus sides again and thats exactly what the fans wanted and is probably driving better viewership numbers. All of this can only be healthy for Aus and Super Rugby and I hope the Brumbies go all the way.
Go to commentsDead time reductions are important as is ball in play time increases. Premiership leads the way in terms of ball in play and Northern refereeing standards around the breakdown has sped up the game significantly. Super Rugby is trying new things but its not leading the way in terms of making gains in reducing dead time and ball in play time. Northern administrators are also not against speeding up the game, on the contrary they want a faster game and have been trying things and are embracing increasing the speed of rugby. Super Rugby isnt providing a blueprint for anything, its just part the agreed upon blueprint that administrators across the world are moving to.
Go to comments