England, already disrupted by a host of injuries, are worrying about the availability of the lock Dave Attwood for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand. Attwood’s fiancee, Bridget, is due to give birth and the coach Stuart Lancaster has admitted a plan B may yet be needed if the baby’s arrival coincides with the game at Twickenham.
Attwood is set to start in the second row against the All Blacks following Joe Launchbury’s withdrawal from the entire autumn series with a neck problem. If the Bath player also has to miss the match, England would have no option but to field two uncapped locks in George Kruis and Graham Kitchener in their matchday 23 this weekend.
Another England forward, Tom Wood, became a father for the third time last week but Lancaster acknowledges he is still playing a waiting game in Attwood’s case. “Is there a scenario? There might be but we’ll have to wait and see nearer the time,” he said. “You want to put the family first but equally I know Dave’s keen to play. We’ll have to have a plan B. The due date was actually last Friday … we’ll just have to wait for Mother Nature to take its course. You have to react closer to the game depending on whether things have or haven’t happened.”
There has been something of a baby boom within the England camp this year, with prop Joe Marler having withdrawn from the final Six Nations game of last season to attend the birth of his first child. The scrum-half Danny Care has also just become a father, while Launchbury’s partner is due to give birth early in the new year.
Lancaster is adamant babies and a long injury list will not divert England from the job of attempting to beat New Zealand. With Kyle Eastmond and Brad Barritt set to start in the centre outside a fit-again Owen Farrell, the England management believe the All Blacks can be overcome despite their ruthless dismissal of the USA Eagles in Chicago at the weekend.
“They look in good shape and spirits coming into Twickenham but there’s a lot of footage we can look at since we last played,” said Lancaster, referring to New Zealand’s defeat to South Africa and last-gasp escape against Australia. “We’ll look at how the South Africans played against them and how they really challenged them.”
The management will also remind their players of the importance of scoring tries against New Zealand, rather than simply setting out to nullify their opponents. “The reality is you’re not going to win a game against NZ by penalties alone,” stressed Lancaster, who will confirm his starting lineup on Thursday.
“I reckon the average points they score per game is 20. Even in the game we won in 2012 they still scored 21 points. In all international games you have to go in with the mindset to score tries and take points when they’re on offer, especially against the All Blacks.”
