England head coach Steve Borthwick faces a headache ahead of the Six Nations with three stragglers selected for last year’s World Cup either ruled out or facing a fitness race for the start of the championship.
Joe Marler, who started as a loose starter in England’s semi-final defeat against South Africa, left Harlequins’ victory over Gloucester at Twickenham with an arm injury. Ellis Genge suffered a hamstring injury during training in Bristol at the beginning of December, while Sale star Bevan Rodd has also been ruled out of the entire Six Nations, which starts on February 2, due to a toe injury.
Mako Vunipola, who was not selected for the World Cup squad due to his ongoing back problem, was suspended for four matches after receiving a red card for a dangerous tackle in Saracens’ win against Newcastle last weekend. Vunipola’s return, if selected, will be England’s opener in Italy on February 3.
On Wednesday, Genge and Marler’s respective club coaches Pat Lam and Billy Millard released updates on their players’ rehabilitation. Regarding Genge’s hamstring injury, Lam said the loosehead, who is set to take over as England captain due to Owen Farrell’s absence, is “on track… hopefully in time for the Six Nations”.
“The plan is for him to return for the Italy game,” Lam said. “I understand you’re tracking well, so give it a few weeks. The most important thing is that they just do the job and every player is different; Every injury is different. It’s ready when it’s ready.”
Millard said of Marler’s arm injury that the experienced loosehead will almost certainly be unavailable for Harlequins’ trip to Newcastle this Friday. However, the director of rugby was unable to provide a further update as Marler, along with Quins’ other forwards Dino Lamb and Stephan Lewies, were still being assessed and scanned by the club’s medical team.
“We had three major injuries in the first half” [of the Gloucester victory] “To three influential and key decision makers on the field,” Millard said.
“To be honest, they’re still consulting with experts. I think some of them have turned out well, but I’m still not 100 percent clear on three of them. We’re still waiting for full clarity.”
“Her [Marler’s] arm, but they still do MRIs and there are experts looking at this and I don’t want to speculate until it’s 100 percent clear. God loves him, he has struggled for a long time but we have experts looking after him as we speak.
“Obviously, it’s just a short-term situation. Joe is Joe. He’s big for us in a lot of ways. I hope it’s not a long run for him.
“I very much doubt he will be eligible for selection.” [this Friday].
What are Borthwick’s options?
Injuries are leaving Borthwick facing a growing dilemma ahead of England’s first match in Rome at the start of next month – and that of the captaincy too.
If Genge had been on the England head coach’s mind to manage the national team – after all, the two did lead Leicester to their first Premiership title in nearly 10 years in 2022 – then Bristol’s loose header now looks more of a gamble. Even if Genge is ready for the Azzurri clash on February 3, he will have played little or no rugby before the championship.
Moreover, was Borthwick going to choose a captain who would not even be able to attend training when the squad was announced on January 18?
In terms of the No1 jersey, Borthwick’s experienced options are slim should either Marler or Genge (or, more worryingly, both) fail in the game against Italy on February 3. An undercooked Vunipola due to suspension would be the leading candidate.
Free-headed Val Rapava-Ruskin, who is fourth in the World Cup preparations, is not expected to return to Gloucester until later this season. Beno Obano produced some displays of dominance for Bath, just like last season, but was behind Rapava-Ruskin, Vunipola and the three players selected in the World Cup rankings.
So Borthwick may have to roll the dice and choose a youngster. Fortunately, there are some options in the Premier League this season that show potential; even if they can’t prove themselves at the highest level. Newcastle’s 22-year-old Phil Brantingham is the perfect prospect, a lively yet devastating attacker in free space who is highly rated in the upper echelons of English rugby.
Tarek Haffar, who is the same age as Brantingham, is a name with plenty of potential who was part of Northampton’s comeback at Sale last weekend. Fin Baxter has proven to be a capable second-in-command to Marler for Harlequins, but whether he can do so at Test level remains to be seen. Ross Harrison, who replaced Rodd at Sale, is also playing the rugby of his life.
Whatever the outcome, England’s front row stable has an interesting month ahead.