England scrum-half Harry Randall looks to have played his last rugby of 2021 after it was confirmed he'll be out of action for two months following a paddle-boarding injury.
Randall, 23, returned to Bristol Bears for rehabilitation on Sunday due to a hip flexor injury, which The Telegraph reported was sustained during a paddle-boarding team-bonding exercise in England's autumn camp.
The player was then reportedly "cleared by England’s medical team to train in a subsequent rugby session," where he suffered further damage.
It's the second time in three Test camps that Randall—who made his senior debut in July—has suffered injury on England duty, having been forced to pull out of the 2021 Six Nations squad due to an ankle knock.
He'll now miss Saturday's Test against Tonga at Twickenham, as well as England's other autumn fixtures against Australia (Nov. 13) and world champions South Africa (Nov. 20).
Many were expecting Randall to serve as deputy to Red Rose veteran Ben Youngs against Tonga, with Sale Sharks scrum-half Raffi Quirke also nursing an injury.
That leaves uncapped No. 9 Alex Mitchell as the last alternative option behind Youngs at scrum-half, with the Northampton Saints playmaker only recently called into the national team's camp.
It's understood Randall's injury has caused new concern among Premiership clubs regarding Eddie Jones ' training methods, although the head coach was eager to avoid a panic regarding squad fitness.
“We've got two injuries out of 34 players so that would hardly be classified as being an alarm bell,” Jones told reporters on Tuesday.
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“It's all part and parcel of preparing an international team. We've been able to adapt and keep training at the intensity we need to for the Test against Tonga.”
Bristol are yet to comment in detail on Randall's injury, though many will be reminded of former England prospect Sam Jones, who was forced to retire at 26 after suffering an injury while training judo on international duty.
The ex- Wasps flanker suffered a fractured fibular, a ruptured medial ligament and serious damage to his ankle while wrestling Maro Itoje in October 2016, failing to recover before hanging up his boots 18 months later.
Jones defended his tactics in 2018 and assured his teams "train appropriately for Test match rugby" after England suffered 15 camp injuries in just two years.
Bears director Pat Lam will be disappointed to lose Randall for a key clash against Northampton at the end of November, while Bristol are also due to face Gloucester and Leicester Tigers before the end of December.
The scrum-half also looks set to miss at least the first two matches of Bristol's Champions Cup campaign, with the Premiership club set to face Scarlets and Stade Francais on December 11 and 19, respectively.
England are currently sweating on the fitness of fly-half Marcus Smith ahead of Saturday's clash with Tonga after it was revealed on Tuesday that he's battling a leg injury.
Even with the current absences, the Red Rose will remain confident in their chances of beating Tonga, who succumbed to Scotland 60-14 at Murrayfield on Saturday.
