Saracens remain hopeful their injured captain, Brad Barritt, could be fit for the Premiership final against Exeter at Twickenham on Saturday. It had been widely assumed Barritt’s hamstring would rule him out but the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, said there was still a chance of the influential centre being involved.
Barritt was forced off in the first half of the semi-final win against Gloucester but his hamstring problem is not as bad as initially feared. “His scan on Monday was a little bit better than we thought it would be,” McCall said.
“He does have a chance and we want to give him until the end of the week. He’ll be tested on Thursday to see where he’s at and we might have to wait until we warm up on Saturday to see how it is.”
McCall also anticipates the club’s giant-sized lock Will Skelton will feature for Australia in the World Cup this autumn despite the regulation that prohibits overseas-based Wallabies with fewer than 60 caps from representing their country.
“There hasn’t been contact but I think there will be,” McCall said, confirming Saracens would be prepared to release Skelton from his recently agreed two-year contract if necessary.
“We want our players to play in the World Cup but I think for that to happen he probably has to sign longer term in Australia. It is not what we want but if that is what Will decides, that’s what he decides. He is keen to play in the World Cup but he is keen to play for Saracens, which is quite a complex situation.”
The news will not necessarily delight Wales, who share a pool with Australia in Japan, and Skelton’s teammate Maro Itoje says all potential opponents should be wary.
“He’s turned into an absolute monster. When I see him hit people I am happy he is on my side at Saracens rather than the opposition. But if he is playing for the Wallabies then unfortunately he will have to get chopped down like the rest of them.”
The Leicester coach, Geordan Murphy, has been banned from matchday coaching duties for his club’s first three games of next season, ordered to pay £1,500 to charity and instructed to write an open letter of apology to his players for verbally abusing a match official following the Tigers’ final league game against Bath earlier this month.
