Eddie Jones has received a boost before the Six Nations, with the news that Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje are set to return to the Saracens squad to face Wasps next weekend.
Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, confirmed the news after his side’s 46-31 win over Worcester on Saturday, which lifted the European champions to second place in the Premiership. Vunipola had surgery on the right knee injury sustained against Sale in September after pulling out of last summer’s Lions squad with a shoulder problem. He has travelled to England’s two-day training squad session in Brighton over the new year, where he will be joined by Itoje, who is recovering from a broken jaw, and the uncapped England Under-20s wing Nathan Earle, who scored two late tries for Saracens against Worcester.
“Maro and Billy will come into consideration next weekend and we have some big selection decisions to make,” McCall said. “We have a huge game coming up against the Ospreys and we will need our best team out and hopefully Liam Williams will also be back in contention for that.”
England have a large hole to fill at No8, with Wasps’ Nathan Hughes already ruled out of their start to the Six Nations in Rome on 4 February, so the return of Vunipola in particular will provide Jones with a boost. The head coach’s Saracens contingent could be swelled further in 2018 when Michael Rhodes, their 30-year-old Durban-born flanker, becomes eligible to play for his adopted country. Rhodes was the man of the match on Saturday, his first start since his fourth operation in the autumn on a troublesome shoulder injury.
“It’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me and to go under the knife for a fourth time was mentally tough,” Rhodes said. “It all began four years ago when I broke a piece of my collarbone. That became brittle, so I had to have a piece of bone from my hip grafted on to the collarbone with titanium. The surgeons then found out I was allergic to titanium. Now my collarbone is two inches shorter on the right.
“I know I qualify for England next July. My focus hasn’t really been on that but it would be a dream come true if it happened and if the opportunity came I would take it, especially as there have been times when I feared my career was over.”
Speaking about Earle, McCall added: “Nathan had a serious achilles injury, so he was sent to New Zealand where he’s gained some good experience playing for Canterbury. He took his chances well but he knows there is tough competition at the club.”
