Feyi-Waboso and Tom Curry ruled out of Nations Championship after injuries in win over Australia
Manny Feyi-Waboso and Tom Curry have been ruled out of England’s Nations Championship campaign after injuries sustained in and around the 45-22 victory against Australia on Sunday, head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed. Feyi-Waboso suffered an ankle injury in the first half of that match, while Tom Curry, who injured his hip in training last week, will miss the rest of November.
England face a selection headache ahead of their clash with Japan on Saturday after multiple other players suffered knocks against the Wallabies; George Furbank, Ollie Chessum and Seb Atkinson are also expected to miss that fixture. Henry Pollock, who scored two tries against Australia, is in contention for a rare start in the back row, having covered on the wing in the second half when Feyi-Waboso went off. Ben Curry started at openside in his twin brother’s absence and performed strongly but, having recently returned from a long-term hamstring injury, is likely to be rested for the Japan match.
Borthwick confirmed Feyi-Waboso’s ankle problem will keep him out of the scheduled games against Japan, New Zealand and England’s match on finals weekend. He reiterated Tom Curry’s absence stems from the hip injury sustained in training and that Curry will not be available for the remainder of November. The coach said Pollock could make his second England start in the back row as a result of the reshuffle.
Furbank left the Australia game with a groin strain, Atkinson was withdrawn with a hip problem and Chessum has a shoulder injury; England say they are hopeful those three will recover in time to face the All Blacks on Saturday week but acknowledged a race against time. Borthwick indicated he would resist the temptation to start Pollock on the wing despite his second-half appearance, telling reporters: “It would be a consideration. I’ll probably be unlikely to do that. It’s not that I’m refraining from playing [Henry] on the wing, I think he might be needed in the back row.”
To replace Atkinson at inside-centre Borthwick narrowed his options to Max Ojomoh and Fraser Dingwall, singling out Ojomoh’s performance for England A. “[Max’s] was probably the standout performance [for England A],” Borthwick said. “At 12, I think it’s more likely that I’ll be looking at Max Ojomoh or Fraser Dingwall as options.” On the wing, Joe Marchant, Will Joseph, Cadan Murley and Noah Caluori are among candidates, while Saracens’ Tobias Elliott has been called up.
Borthwick said he intends to manage workloads across a six-day turnaround, meaning Tommy Freeman may be rested for the Japan game and two different wings could be selected. Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward are the main contenders for the No 15 jersey to replace Furbank, and a number of back-row permutations are being considered to cover for Chessum. Alex Coles could shift to blindside with George Martin starting at lock; Greg Fisilau, Tom Pearson, Max Hicks and Jack Kenningham have been added to the back-row options, with the note that Hicks has represented New Zealand Maori but qualifies for England through his Cornish grandmother.
Borthwick confirmed Courtney Lawes remains available but he has again opted not to call on him, and Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland is fit and may make his England debut against Japan. England’s visitors have indicated they will bring tactical variety: Eddie Jones hinted his Japan side would look to throw a curveball or two to unsettle Borthwick’s team after the Brave Blossoms’ defeat by Wales on Saturday, and Borthwick commented on Jones’s quality as a coach, saying: “Eddie is an absolutely outstanding coach. I don’t know who the best rugby coaches in the world would be, but if you’re making a list of great coaches then he’s up towards the top. I’m sure Japan will have a tactical plan to come here and try and derail us. He’s very good at that.”
England must now name a largely revised matchday squad for Saturday’s meeting with Japan while monitoring the recovery of Furbank, Chessum and Atkinson as they aim to be available for the subsequent fixture against the All Blacks on Saturday week.