England star Ollie Lawrence ‘ahead of schedule’ following horror Achilles injury
Ollie Lawrence being stretchered off the pitch against Italy in the Six Nations
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan has revealed England star Ollie Lawrence is “ahead of schedule” on his injury return after months on the sidelines.
The powerhouse centre suffered a horrific Achilles injury on Test duty during the Six Nations and was set to be out until December, but this admission could give both Bath and England fans hope of a quicker return to the field.
Lawrence has been an ever-present in the Bath starting XV under boss Van Graan, making 44 appearances in his two and a half seasons with the club.
Ollie Lawrence ‘ahead of schedule’ after Achilles injury
The former Worcester player has been keeping fans updated on his rehab process via social media, and posted a video of himself beginning running preparations on Tuesday.
And, boss Van Graan has now confirmed he is in “great shape” and possibly set for an earlier return than first thought.
“I’m not going to make any predictions because it’s such a big injury. We’ll take our time with him, but what I will say is he’s in great physical shape; you can see he’s in the gym a lot,” he said.
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“Ollie is a great professional, and he’s been ultra-professional when it comes to this and doing everything he possibly can. If there were a schedule, I would say he’s ahead of it. We’re very happy with him and the national team are very happy with him, he’s one of their best players so there’s been good dialogue.
“He’s part of our group, he and Jaco (Cotezee) came with us to Cardiff (for the EPCR Challenge Cup final) and they’ll be with us this week again. He’s doing his very best to get back as quickly as he can and in the best possible condition he can.
“He’s controlling what he can control, which is his rehab, his body shape and trying to get better.”
Elsewhere, Van Graan confirmed they have not suffered any new injuries ahead of their Premiership semi-final against Bristol Bears tomorrow night.
