Jonathan Joseph could miss the rest of England’s World Cup pool fixtures, according to reports.
The centre sustained a pectoral injury in the victory over Fiji in the tournament’s opening fixture on Friday and will miss Saturday’s match against Wales at Twickenham. But it has been widely reported that the injury is worse than first feared and the 24-year-old will also miss the matches against Australia on 3 October and potentially against Uruguay on 10 October.
If true, the news would be a major blow for England’s head coach, Stuart Lancaster, with Joseph arguably his most potent attacking weapon.
However, a source close to Joseph indicated the centre himself hopes to return to full training next week and is still aiming to be in contention for selection against the Wallabies.
Joseph’s Bath team-mate Sam Burgess is expected to come into the starting XV for the match against Wales, sandwiched between Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt in a new-look midfield.
