Wales vs England team news: Ruaridh McConnochie could miss out on debut for second week running with injury
Bath wing missed last weekend’s win over Wales with a hip flexor injury and may be forced to pull out of this week’s return fixture due to muscle soreness
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Your support makes all the difference.Ruaridh McConnochie could be forced to pull out of his England debut for the second week running after Eddie Jones revealed the uncapped wing is suffering from “muscle soreness”.
The Bath back was due to make his first appearance for England in last Sunday’s 33-19 victory over Wales, but was replaced in the starting line-up the day before the match by Joe Cokanasiga after tweaking a hip flexor.
But that did not prevent Jones from naming him in his final 31-man squad for the World Cup, having beaten off competition from Mike Brown for a place on the plane to Japan.
McConnochie and Cokanasiga are due to play on the wing in Saturday’s return fixture in Cardiff, but the 27-year-old is now a doubt and could be replaced by either Anthony Watson or Jonny May if he fails to come through a fitness test on the morning of the match.
"Ruaridh pulled up a bit sore today so we're not 100 per cent sure how he'll be," Jones said on Friday.
"We'll find out later tonight. It's not the same injury. He's just sore, so we'll find out about it."
The expectation is that the former Sevens international has a 50-50 chance of featuring at the Principality Stadium, but should he prove his fitness he will win his first cap for England a year after signing his first professional XVs contract with Bath.
But England are already without Jack Nowell for the trip to Wales as well as the next Rugby World Cup warm-up clash with Ireland, with the Exeter Chiefs wing rated as having an “outside chance”
Jones also issued an update on the fitness of Mako Vunipola, who is continuing his rehabilitation after having surgery on an injured hamstring at the end of the Premiership season.
"Mako did a bit of extra work at the end of training today, a bit of contact work,” Jones added.
“A bit of defence work. He should get some time next weekend against Ireland.”
England were forced to rule out three players on the eve of last week’s Quilter International, with McConnochie joined by Henry Slade and Sam Underhill in withdrawing from the starting line-up due to knocks that will also keep them out of this weekend’s encounter.
But Jones did confirm that there are no other concerns beyond McConnochie this time around, although he did make reference to the delay that the England team suffered ahead of last February’s Six Nations clash in Wales.
"There are no more changes that I'm aware of at this stage, but it's a long bus trip and they might put a few tractors in front so we don't know what might happen," Jones said.
"We've got a particular strategy we want to use against Wales, which is part of our World Cup strategy. We'll see how we go.
"All we're worried about is playing well and getting prepared for the World Cup, that's all we're worried about. All those things don't count now.”
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