Rugby World Cup 2019: Eddie Jones delivers injury update on team ahead of England vs South Africa final
Ben Spencer has arrived in Tokyo to replace the injured Willi Heinz with Owen Farrell, Jonny May, Kyle Sinckler and Anthony Watson all nursing knocks ahead of the biggest game of their careers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.England boss Eddie Jones believes he will have all 31 players in his squad fit and available for the Rugby World Cup final, with Jonny May, Owen Farrell, Kyle Sinckler and Anthony Watson all expected to return to training on Tuesday.
Jones gave his squad the day off in Sunday following their momentous victory over New Zealand in last Saturday’s semi-final, before a reduced workload programme was deployed on Monday to enable their walking wounded to fully recover ahead of what will be the biggest game of their lives.
Both May and Farrell are expected to recover from dead legs suffered against the All Blacks, while Jones also confirmed that Sinckler and Watson are set to take part in training on Tuesday ahead of this Saturday’s final against South Africa.
“[We’re looking] pretty good,” Jones said on Monday. “We had a walk through this morning and we had to tell Jonny to slow down a bit. He is probably in better condition that he was last week at this stage. Immeasurably better.
“Owen is a bit sore but he will be fine. We have got a few others carrying bumps and bruises because it was a tough old game.”
Saracens scrum-half Ben Spencer arrived in Tokyo on Monday morning to replace the injured Willi Heinz, who has been forced out of the final with a hamstring injury that left him in tears following the final whistle at the International Stadium Yokohama last weekend.
“It’s tough for Willi, he’s been a great contributor, a very well-liked member of the squad and he was in tears in the dressing room,” Jones added. “It’s tough for him but he’s now collected himself, he now knows he’s got another role to play for us and he’ll fulfil that role really well this week.
“Ben has been in and around the squad consistently for the last couple of years so he knows the game, he knows the players. He is a fit guy and just fits in quite readily. We always said to those guys outside the 31 that they need to be ready, and he is ready to go.
“We needed to make the decision fairly quickly so we decided to call on Ben, and it is just a great opportunity ahead of him. He has come into the squad and has got to learn a few new things. Willi will help him and Ben [Youngs] will help him with that too. The task ahead of him is no different to any other player. He has just got to learn a little bit more in the early part of the week and get himself physically and mentally ready.”
England’s recovery this week from a bruising encounter against the All Blacks will be more important than ever before, given what is at stake this weekend against the Springboks. Jones’s side do have the bonus of playing a game fewer than South Africa due to the typhoon-affected pool match against France, but the Australian is keen to ensure that the players are doing everything within their power to ensure they are in the best shape possible going into the final week of the tournament.
That includes giving them free rein to visit the traditional Japanese onsens, which he believes hold a secret key to getting his players into the right place mentally as well as physically, and upon being told that Manu Tuilagi claimed he “emptied the tank” at the weekend, Jones could not have been happier.
“That’s one of the most satisfying things I’ve heard – that Manu emptied the tank, because that’s what we wanted our players to do,” he said. “That’s what they should be at the end of the game – absolutely exhausted. The great thing about our players is that physically they are in fantastic condition, so their ability to recover is extraordinary.
“They have also taken to the onsens in droves. It is a great way to recover. Think about how smart the Japanese are, 150 years ago each village had its own onsen which is the perfect recovery: hot, cold, some social interaction so you can relax, so it’s perfect. Our players are better today than they were last week and I would hesitate to say that our training’s going to be to a higher standard this week that it was last week. That’s how good a condition we are in.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments