Billy Vunipola is in danger of missing England’s entire Six Nations campaign after undergoing an operation to repair a torn knee cartilage he suffered during his team’s eventful 27-14 win against Argentina. The Saracens No8 faces three to four months on the sidelines and will be conspicuous by his absence against Australia this weekend.
Vunipola was hurt in the first half of the game on Saturday and, according to an England statement, will be out for “at least 12 weeks”. The 24-year-old has been England’s dominant forward this season and will be a significant loss to both club and country. “He’s a very influential player and there’s no doubt he’ll be missed for the game against Australia,” the head coach, Eddie Jones, said.
There will now be pressure on Vunipola to demonstrate his return to full fitness before the announcement of the British and Irish Lions squad in mid-April. Jones, in the shorter term, must now reshuffle his pack to tackle the Wallabies as England chase a record-equalling 14th successive Test victory.
Sale’s Josh Beaumont has been called up along with Harlequins’ Jack Clifford, though the latter is doubtful after being knocked out in a club game yesterday.
With Elliot Daly also facing a disciplinary hearing on Monday following his red card against the Pumas, a wing recall awaits either Bath’s Semesa Rokoduguni or Quins’ Marland Yarde.
Jones has reopened old wounds by requesting a meeting with South African referee Jaco Peyper to discuss Australia’s “illegal” scrummaging before the Test against the Wallabies.
“We want the referee to know they do things illegally,” Jones said. “I’m not going to tell you what’s wrong with them but they are a heavily penalised scrum. They need to sort that out before the game.”
With England’s scrum showing signs of improvement there is obvious mileage in inviting Peyper to focus on Australia’s set‑piece work. Jones has also reiterated his belief that insufficient respect was shown to England by his compatriots during the June tour of Australia. “The game’s built around traditions of respect and I think you should be respectful,” Jones said. “That’s why the game of rugby continues to grow and when you’re disrespectful to the game the game falters. You can’t afford to do that. We’ve all got a part to play: players, coaches, fans, media, sponsors. I’m serious about it.”
The Australia lock forward Dean Mumm, however, says his side will be taking Jones’s words with a hefty pinch of salt. “I’m sure Eddie’s up to his regular tricks but it’s kind of irrelevant to what we want to do,” Mumm said. “We’re not going out there and playing Eddie Jones we’re going out there and playing England.”
A home win would not just equal England’s previous longest sequence of successive wins but allow England to complete a calendar year unbeaten for the first time in 24 years. Jones, though, is only concerned about his side enhancing their 2019 World Cup prospects: “We don’t need to talk about records. All we need to think about is playing well.”
A home win would allow England to complete a calendar year unbeaten for the first time in 24 years.
