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England fans question whether Vunipola was rushed back too soon
By Josh Raisey
All England rugby fans have breathed a collective sigh of relief after it was revealed that Mako Vunipola will only be out for 10 days after injuring his hamstring again against Ireland last weekend.
The loosehead prop will miss the final warm-up game against Italy on September 6, but many would have feared his World Cup was potentially over when he limped off the Twickenham turf on Saturday.
That was his first outing since tearing his hamstring in the Champions Cup final in May with Saracens. The injury required surgery and he suffered another slight tear to the scar tissue in the 57-15 demolition of Ireland.
While it was important that Vunipola got some game time ahead of the World Cup, some fans on social media feel that he was rushed back and that it was not necessary for him to play in a warm-up match.
Of course, Eddie Jones would not have wanted Vunipola to go into the World Cup with no game time under his belt, but it has come at a price.
The loosehead is arguably the best in the world in his position and the impact he has on the England team is noticeable. Jones knows what he gets from the 28-year-old and therefore some fans feel it is worth biding his time to play the prop at the finals.
England’s opening two games of the World Cup are against Tonga and the USA, two games that Vunipola can afford to miss, meaning he has longer to recover. However, the priority is that he returns for the matches against Argentina and France in the pool stages. This has been the reaction:
This must have been a tough decision for Jones to make, as while he would have wanted Vunipola to be 100 per cent fit when he made his return, it takes a while to regain full fitness with hamstring injuries.
Therefore, it would have been a gamble to leave it to the World Cup to see if Vunipola was ready. Fortunately, this most recent injury has not proven to be too costly.
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Latest Comments
He is contracted to the end of 2025. When he took the job he said he probably wouldn't go onto the RWC. If that pans out how does that equate with walking out and undermining us.
And you confidently stated that due to your influence he would be gone by the end of 2024.
That didn't happen and he definitely will be coaching the Wallabies until the end of this year and if he leaves then it will be as per his contract.
Your Walter Mitty fantasising continues.
Go to commentsTripe. When have the ABs or the Boks ever been scared of playing each other. If the Eden Park record gets broken then this would be the team I'd want to lose it to. Crikey that's going to be a great game.
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