England suffer latest injury blows as Prem coach confirms ‘specialist’ involvement
England suffer latest injury blows as Prem coach confirms 'specialist' involvement
England coaches have had their selection options cut even further following another brutal weekend of Prem Rugby, which has left more players on the medical table.
Bath coach Johann van Graan has confirmed that experienced lock Charlie Ewels will be “out for a number of weeks with his knee,” making his England return unlikely. Ted Hill, meanwhile, has “gone for some more specialist opinion” on his ankle, which will reportedly leave him sidelined for a few weeks minimum.
This news comes after Bristol Bears recently announced their own series of injury blows, with scrum half Harry Randall and winger Gabriel Ibitoye both facing long spells on the sidelines. Sale Sharks captain Ben Curry is also currently facing a dilemma: whether to have surgery before the Autumn Nations Series, or try and power through and have the surgery afterwards.
These injuries will do Steve Borthwick’s England no favours, as they look ahead to a challenging autumn, facing Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in consecutive weeks.
Back at Bath, Van Graan also confirmed that Ewels’ lock partner Quinn Roux will be out for the foreseeable future. Not wanting to dwell on the loss, he stated: “That’s just the game. You’ve just got to adapt. For us, whoever puts on the jersey will make sure that we perform on the weekend.”
Springboks star’s honest R360 admission as unions unite against breakaway competition
Bath vs Gloucester
Bath have the opportunity to break a record against Gloucester this weekend, as they look to make it six wins in a row over their old rivals for the first time.
Speaking about the amazing rivalry between the two sides, Van Graan said: “I am South African. In South Africa, the Bulls vs Stormers is the big derby. When I was at Munster, the big one was the Munster vs Leinster ones, and certainly from a Bath point of view, the Gloucester Bath one is pretty special, whether it’s at the Rec or down at their place.
“The Shed is always good, it’s always played in good spirits. There’s mutual respect. I respect George [Skivington]. We get along really well. They want to play positively, and we want to play positively. I think that’s one of the really good, feel-good stories of the Premiership.
“It’s the spirit in which all teams play, Bath versus Gloucester is certainly nothing different, and both teams will go at it for 80 minutes, and afterwards we’ll shake hands and have a beer together. So I think that stays. The beauty of our game is the community aspect.”
