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Uncapped McConnochie already ruled out of England's third warm-up

By Online Editors
England are confident that Ruaridh McConnochie will be fit for RWC (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

England are confident injuries will not derail rookie Ruaridh McConnochie’s World Cup bid. The Bath winger has seen his Test debut thwarted twice in as many weeks, with first a hip issue and then a hamstring complaint denyong him denying him making his international bow.

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The 27-year-old missed both England’s warm-up matches against Wales – and will now also sit out Saturday’s Twickenham clash with Ireland. But attack coach Scott Wisemantel has insisted England have no qualms about his readiness for the fast-approaching tournament in Japan, having already named their 31-man squad.

“Look, in a way, we already know what Ruaridh can do,” said Wisemantel. “We’ve seen him in the Premiership and in the Sevens on the big stage. So I’m confident he’ll fit in really well, but it would just be nice to get him out there.

“It’s like anyone in the 31, we need to see them play. But with his prep, it was just one of those unlucky things. It was the second to last play in the run, and he just pulled up and felt it tighten up a wee bit.

“He knew it probably wasn’t right. Then after the scans, it was a tiny little tear. It’s a minor hamstring issue. We’re just trying to get him right. To have two false starts like that, we want to make sure he’s got the best possible prep, to do him justice.”

England will host Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday bidding to hit back after last week’s 13-6 loss to Wales in Cardiff. Prop Mako Vunipola is in contention to make his comeback from the hamstring injury he suffered in Saracens’ Heineken Champions Cup final victory over Leinster in May.

Henry Slade and Jack Nowell will miss out through injury again, though Mark Wilson could be fit after a rib complaint. Playmaker Slade is battling to shake off a toe problem, while his Exeter team-mate and British and Irish Lion Nowell has been sidelined since the Premiership final with knee and ankle issues.

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Tom Curry and Sam Underhill are both available for selection, leaving head coach Eddie Jones with another chance to pair the two natural openside flankers in the same back row.

“We’re looking at Italy for Slade, everything going well,” said Wisemantel. “Wilson could potentially be ready this weekend, and Curry and Underhill are likely to be available for selection.”

England’s attack guru Wisemantel expects Ireland to pitch up at Twickenham at something approaching full strength. “Obviously the hit-out against Italy was a mixed team, so I’d expect he’ll go a lot stronger, probably quite hard, Joe Schmidt,” said Wisemantel.

“These warm-ups can be like games of poker. But they are still Test matches. You want to win them, and you’re disappointed when you don’t. You want to win but at the same time, you want to hold some things back.

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“So it is like a game of chess at the moment, but you certainly want to get out there and try some things that you think might work, experiment a little bit. So that’s where we’re at at this stage.”

– Press Association

WATCH: England coach Eddie Jones after his team’s loss to Wales last Saturday

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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