Maro Itoje is a doubt for the start of England’s Six Nations campaign after Saracens confirmed he suffered a broken jaw during the club’s 20-19 defeat by Harlequins last Sunday.
Itoje left the field early in the second half with blood pouring from his mouth and was taken to hospital where scans have revealed a fracture. England begin the defence of their Six Nations title away to Italy on 4 February and the top-end of the recovery timeframe for a broken jaw can be up to 10 weeks. Itoje’s England team-mate Anthony Watson spent two months on the sidelines with a similar injury last autumn.
It means Eddie Jones faces a nervous wait with the 23-year-old lock due to see a specialist later this week, when the length of his absence will become clearer. He is however certain to miss Saracens’ back-to-back Champions Cup matches against last year’s finalists Clermont Auvergne, the first of which is on Sunday at Allianz Park.
It is a major blow for Saracens, the two-times defending European champions who have lost their last five matches in all competitions, including three in a row in the Premiership. Itoje made his return for the club in the loss at Harlequins, having been absent for Saracens throughout the autumn internationals despite starting only one of England’s three matches.
Before the autumn break however, Itoje had started eight of Saracens’ first nine matches of the season, on the back of playing 34 games last term, including all three British & Irish Lions Tests.
Saracens currently top their Champions Cup pool following bonus points wins against Northampton and the Ospreys but Clermont are a point behind having also won their first two matches.
Manu Tuilagi has been backed to re-emerge as one of the world’s best outside centres when he finally makes his comeback from injury this month. The powerful England midfielder is on the verge of a club return for Leicester, probably in next week’s home European pool game against Munster, and the Tigers’ management believe the 26-year-old’s best days are still ahead of him.
Tuilagi has been plagued by groin, hamstring and knee injuries which prompted him to visit a witch-doctor in Samoa earlier this year in an effort to accelerate his recovery.
Leicester are wary of rushing him back for Saturday’s fixture against Munster in Limerick but Matt O’Connor, the club’s director of rugby, predicts the player will return with a bang within the next fortnight.
“A fully fit Manu is the best 13 in the world,” said O’Connor, as eager as anyone to see Tuilagi back in action. “He’s a special player … he brings a different level. He’s got to come back, he’s got to play footy but he’s that good. I think there would be a lot of people who’d agree with me.”
There are those who also wonder if Tuilagi’s power-laden frame is simply too heavy for his ligaments to cope with but O’Connor insists he is in prime shape. “He’s too powerful for everyone else’s body, I don’t know about his own,” said the Australian. “In isolation the injuries are not a big deal but when you put them back to back he’s missed a lot of footy over the last couple of seasons. It’s a frustration for him and everybody else. He’s got so much potential. He’s box office and everyone wants to see him play.
“There’s been an element of bad luck to it. Hopefully with the witch doctor’s help we’re past that. He’s fit, he’s training, he’s doing really well. It’s just about how we reintroduce him. There’s no such thing as slow and steady with Manu. He doesn’t do that very well. When he’s good to go we’ll put him out there.”
Tuilagi, who has spent more time sidelined than playing since 2014, would certainly be an eye-catching addition to England’s Six Nations squad if he impresses Jones, who is in Japan checking on 2019 Rugby World Cup venues. “Whenever he comes back and plays he’s aerobically very good and he copes with the collisions brilliantly,” said O’Connor. “We’ll just make sure we don’t put him under too much pressure. He will be involved in the next couple of weeks, for sure but we’ve got a duty of care to make sure he is at the top of his game when he does come back.”
