Saracens’ Maro Itoje will be sidelined for the upcoming Gallagher Premiership fixture against Exeter due to a knee injury.
However, the England lock’s condition has been described as minor, easing concerns over his fitness.
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Injury Occurred Against Sale
Itoje picked up the knock during Saracens’ 45-26 victory over Sale Sharks on Saturday. The influential forward was forced off just one minute into the second half, raising alarm bells for both club and country.
McCall Provides Positive Update
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall reassured fans about Itoje’s condition:
“He won’t be available for this weekend, he got a bang to the knee,” McCall confirmed. “There’s nothing structural at all, so it’s as minor as it gets really. A little bit of bruising, and he’s just settling that down.”
Quick Recovery Expected
Although Itoje will miss the Exeter game, McCall is optimistic about his swift return:
“It’s good. Just a bang and a bit of swelling, which will come down. We expect to have him available for the week after.”
Statement: Another blow for Steve Borthwick as England winger undergoes knee surgery
Bath winger Will Muir is set to miss six weeks of action after suffering a knee injury during Bath’s recent victory over Leicester Tigers.
The 28-year-old was forced off in the 45th minute, despite scoring the team’s opening try earlier in the match.
Cokanasiga Also Out for Bristol Clash
Adding to Bath’s injury concerns, winger Joe Cokanasiga will miss the upcoming West Country derby against Bristol. The 26-year-old failed a head injury assessment (HIA) following the win over Leicester and is ruled out due to concussion.
Van Graan: Muir’s England Hopes in Doubt
Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, confirmed Muir’s injury and suggested his availability for England’s Autumn internationals is uncertain.
“Will will be out for around six weeks with his knee, that rules him out of this block,” van Graan said. “Maybe he’s available for England and maybe he’s not. Right now, it’s about getting him back as quickly as possible.”
Bath’s Winger Dilemma Grows
With Regan Grace also out injured, Bath now find themselves without three wingers. However, van Graan emphasized the importance of adaptability within the squad.
“You’ve got to be able to adapt, and it’s about the next player stepping up. Will Butt, for example, has been one of the standout players in the Premiership after the first two rounds,” he added.
George Ford update
Ford, who underwent a scan on Monday, had initially been feared to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines following the 45-26 loss.
However, the scan revealed no need for surgery, offering a significant boost to both Sale Sharks and England head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of the autumn campaign.
“Sale Sharks can confirm that fly-half George Ford suffered a tear to his right quad during the early stages of the Gallagher Premiership round two game at Saracens on Saturday,” Sale said in a statement on Thursday night.
“Following a positive consultation with a specialist it was decided that George does not require surgery and he will now beg
PREDICTION: Steve Borthwick’s England team to face the All Blacks in Autumn Series Opener
The contention for places within the England squad remains amongst the upper echelons, with established Test match players battling for the starting jersey with the new generation. Now that the Gallagher Premiership is back in full flight, Borthwick will be scanning the squads across the country to ensure that he has the best possible match day 23 for when the All Blacks descend on Twickenham.
As with any predictions piece, the unpredictability of professional rugby injuries throws quite the spanner into the best laid plans. Just this past week, both George Ford and Maro Itoje were taken off the Saracens vs Sale Sharks battlefield with injuries, with Ford looking likely to miss more action that the stalwart England lock.
With that said, we dusted off the proverbial crystal ball for a look into the future and here is what we found. These are Ruck’s predictions for Steve Borthwick’s England squad, to face New Zealand in the opening match of the 2024 Autumn Series.
BACK THREE
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
11. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
We commence the match day 23 with the outside backs, and we can’t see Steve Borthwick making any changes to his trio that took on the All Blacks in Dunedin back in July. Beginning with newly coronated Northampton Saints club captain George Furbank, the fullback missed out on the second Test at Auckland’s Eden Park, after suffering a back injury after a heavy coming together with New Zealand wing Sevu Reece.
Furbank was replaced by Leicester Tigers fullback Freddie Steward for the second Test, yet the Northampton man has been in impressive upon the return of the green, black and golds in recent weeks. Whilst Furbank may be a step away from the grade compared to Steward’s dominance under the high ball, the Saint’s versatility is what he really brings to the table, proving himself indispensable to Borthwick as Swiss army knife of covering options.
Tommy Freeman is our pick to resume ownership of the 11 jersey, with the Northampton flyer running out for his first full 80 minutes of the season, against Exeter this past Saturday. Freeman was amongst the England players that had a staggered re-introduction to their clubs, after the announcement of the Professional Group Partnership in September.
Freeman silenced the All Blacks fans with his try at Eden Park in July, and would want nothing more than to emulate this with a try-scoring roar from the Twickenham faithful this coming November. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso certainly left his mark in an England shirt this past Summer, as the Exeter Chiefs wing scored three tries on the tour, crossing over in each match against Japan and New Zealand.
Feyi-Waboso ensured that he left New Zealand with the All Blacks remembering his name, after Sevu Reece admitted to not knowing who the Exeter Chiefs man was ahead of the opening Test in the Forsyth Barr Stadium. Feyi-Waboso scored a brace of tries in the Chiefs defeat to Northampton this past weekend, as the wing is back firing at his best ahead of a return call to the England squad.
CENTRES
13. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
Onto the midfielders, and there is some contention for places if Exeter Chiefs centre Henry Slade does not return in time from injury. Currently, Slade is in the midst of a lengthy road to recovery, after the Chiefs man underwent shoulder surgery following the England tour last Summer. Slade had initially injured his shoulder in a tackle attempt on Duhan van der Merwe, when the powerhouse wing scored his stunning solo try in Scotland’s Six Nations win against England at Murrayfield last February.
However, Slade was able to keep the injury maintained throughout the rest of the 2023/24 season, and was a key player in many of Exeter’s and England’s highlights. If the Devon native is unable to return to the England squad in time for the All Blacks test, then we predict Fraser Dingwall to get the nod to take up the 13 jersey. With Manu Tuilagi now ineligible for England, following his move to French club Bayonne, Dingwall could step into the outside centre slot, where he starred for the Saints last season in their Premiership title winning campaign.
Dingwall brings the added versatility to the midfield, with the prior capabilities of running out in both the inside and outside centre channels. Also bringing extra flexibility into the centre options is Bath’s Ollie Lawrence, who plays for the blue, black and whites at 13, yet has been recently utilised by Borthwick in the 12 shirt. Lawrence was England’s go to man in the inside centre for both the 2024 Six Nations and the latest Summer tour, and did it all whilst alternating back to outside centre in Bath’s run to the Premiership Final.
Lawrence’s Bath midfield partner Max Ojomah is a considerable shout for an England debut this Autumn, with the midfielder called into Borthwick’s wider training squad, that jetted out to Spain for a pre 2024 Six Nations camp. Ojomah is currently on the mend after sustaining a foot injury, so time will tell if he is fit for the senior England squad, or perhaps a run in the England A set-up, who return to face Australia A at the Stoop in November.