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England player Billy Vunipola handed Rugby World Cup lifeline after knee injury boost

England player Billy Vunipola knee injury has prevented him from experiencing the worst-case scenario, giving the No. 8 player a chance to play in the Rugby World Cup later this year. Following knee surgery, Saracens No. 8 has a greater chance than initially anticipated of joining England's RWC 2023 squad for France.

By eticketing coPublished about a year ago 4 min read
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During the first two weeks of July, almost one month before England's first pre-Rugby World Cup 2023 match against Wales. For his first Six Nations campaign as England's head coach, Steve Borthwick completely ignored Vunipola, leaving him out of the team and starting Alex Dombrandt at the base of the scrum in each of the five games.

However, it is claimed that Borthwick has maintained an open mind towards the 68-cap England player Billy Vunipola despite rumors of a long-standing falling out between the two. The 30-year-old has been one of Saracens' most important players as they've built an 11-point lead atop the Premiership.

The fight at No. 8 alone will be tough during the pre-World Cup training. Sam Simmonds led Exeter Chiefs to the Champions Cup semifinals by inspiring them to victory over future club Montpellier and the Stormers. Along with Rembrandt and Vunipola, Zach Mercer and Tom Willis, who respectively left Premiership clubs for Union Bordeaux Bègles and Montpellier,

Will be taken into account. Back-row players with versatility like Lewis Ludlam and Ben Earl can also fill the position. An extended training squad that will start meeting on June 11 after those not participating in the Premier League play-offs have had a five-week vacation is scheduled to be named by England.

Over the next three weeks, the rest of Borthwick's group will trickle in, with the Premiership finalists merging on July 2. Playoffs continue until the tournament final on June 17, which is after the final round of regular season matches in the Top 14 are completed on May 28. Any players based in France, such as Mercer, Tom Willis, or Jack Willis of Toulouse, would most likely be able to team up with England no earlier than July 2. Bordeaux is in the running, and Toulouse plans to advance far into the playoffs. The first of England's four warm-up games will take place on August 5 when they visit Cardiff. The following weekend, they will host Wales before playing Ireland in Dublin and Fiji at Twickenham.

On August 12, 2014, in between the second and third of four pre-Rugby World Cup games, Eddie Jones announced his final World Cup roster. This season, England begins its competition against Argentina on September 9 in Marseille before finishing its pool-stage schedule by playing Japan, Chile, and Samoa.

Aled Walters' appointment as England's new head of conditioning appears to be of utmost importance given the team's propensity for losing steam in the latter stages of Borthwick's first Six Nations, with late slip-ups occurring in each of their three losses to Scotland, France, and Ireland.

The Welshman, who is about to join the England team from Leicester Tigers, is the current World Cup champion thanks to his successful time with South Africa. He will have a prolonged training block because it is so uncommon in the international rugby union.

Walters will undoubtedly play a crucial part in overseeing the recovery of any injured players who are called up. Along with Vunipola, Ollie Chessum and Luke Cowan-Dickie may fall under this category. The upcoming arrival of Richard Wigglesworth may further help Vunipola's cause for a comeback. A key component of England's march to the final of the most recent World Cup in 2019, when Borthwick served as the forward's coach under Jones.

After Leicester's Premiership season is over, the veteran scrum-half for Saracens and longtime comrade of England player Billy Vunipola will start working as an assistant coach for England.

England: Harlequins refuse to release Nick Evans for Rugby World Cup

According to rumors in the English media, Harlequins won't let coach Nick Evans go for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in France. For the international competition later this year, Red Rose manager Steve Borthwick wants the New Zealander to be there.

According to a report in The Telegraph, Quins would not obstruct Evans should he be given a permanent position; but, the hiring of Felix Jones from the South African team following the World Cup appears to have put an end to that.

There are few if any, openings in Borthwick's backroom staff for the 2024 Six Nations because Richard Wigglesworth, the current temporary head coach of the Leicester Tigers and a former scrumhalf, is expected to take up a job that has not yet been determined when the Premiership season concludes in May.

Before taking on his present position at the Tigers after Borthwick left, Wigglesworth was in command of Leicester's backline while also playing. Evans split his time between his club and his country when serving as the attack coach for England during the most recent Six Nations, thanks to Quins.

Though he might be gone for up to four months for the World Cup, the Londoners would not be open to letting him go only for that reason. While the former All-Black was playing for the national team, Harlequins dropped four out of their five games, a run of performance that significantly harmed their playoff hopes.

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