England have been rocked by Covid again before Saturday’s autumn clash against Australia, with Ellis Genge ruled out after testing positive and the rest of the squad waiting on further results.
Genge’s positive PCR test was confirmed on Friday morning and his absence comes after his fellow loosehead Joe Marler tested positive early in the week, leaving the 21-year-old Bevan Rodd coming into the side for a Test debut, having been called into camp on Wednesday. The situation for Eddie Jones’s side could get worse if any more players test positive.
England were in a similar situation before last Saturday’s victory over Tonga, only for the game to go ahead once the squad got the all-clear hours before kick-off, with Jonny May afterwards admitting he feared it would be cancelled. In that instance, Owen Farrell’s Covid case proved a false positive, whereas the Rugby Football Union has accepted that Marler and Genge – the latter must also miss next Saturday’s match against South Africa – have contracted the virus.
If the outbreak spreads further it would be significantly more disruptive and the fact that it has hit the front-row ranks makes Jones’s headache all the more acute. Trevor Davison, who has one cap, is set to provide loosehead cover from the bench, but World Rugby regulations dictate that all three front-row positions are covered by replacements. England have not sent for cover and it is understood any late call-ups would be required to take a PCR test or two lateral flow tests.
“We just treat it as normal now,” said Jones. “Every day is an adventure and we’re on bit of a rollercoaster at the moment. Covid keeps coming. We just accept it and get on with it.
“Everyone has mixed emotions. I was watching the players come through this morning. Some are disappointed for Ellis, others are angry and others just want to get on with it. We had a short team meeting this morning. We got everyone back on the same page and just got on with it. It’s a chance to show what strength we have as a team. Now we support these two young guys coming through and everyone will just have to step up a little bit.”
England have already tightened their Covid protocols, with all squad members remaining in camp for the whole week. The players were set to briefly be allowed home after this match but that is no longer expected to be the case. Nonetheless, with the players and staff meeting the 85% vaccination threshold, the protocols have been relaxed in comparison to during the Six Nations. The RFU has not been able to identify the source of the outbreak but Jones believes it is “just a fact of life”, given Covid-19 remains prevalent in the community.
“It’s not going to go away, it will keep coming and we just have to deal with it,” he added. “Every time we have a case we deal with it better and deal with it emotionally and operationally better. It is just a fact of life at the moment. You just have to watch [the news] in the morning and see the number of cases in the UK. We are doing everything we can to safeguard the team against it and try and use common sense. We’re keeping strict regulations about what we do and we’re pleased with the discipline of the players so it’s just one unfortunate consequence of the pandemic.”
Farrell, meanwhile, insisted England would not be distracted by the outbreak as they seek to claim an eighth straight win against the Wallabies. “It is very disappointing as an individual, having to isolate and be on your own,” he said. “You can go through different emotions. It’s more frustrating if you’re the one that’s had the positive test. We have to be able to deal with it, we have to adapt, and so far the lads have been brilliant at that. We are looking forward to showing that it’s not touching us in terms of our mentality.”
