Mako Vunipola will miss Rugby World Cup after failing to recover from back injury
The Saracens base had back surgery at the end of last season and failed to recover in time to be included in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man World Cup squad.
England head coach Borthwick will name his full squad at Twickenham tomorrow, opting to finalize his squad early to give his players as much clarity as possible.
Vunipola has spent the last two weeks rehab at Saracens rather than staying loyal to the English camp, which in itself is a sign he hasn’t been that close to fitness. However, Borthwick had refused to give up the 32-year-old top rower and continued to leave the door open to the Lions tourist.
Vunipola’s absence prepares Sale’s Bevan Rodd to travel to France to join vice-captain Ellis Genge and Harlequin Joe Marler to complete the trio of loosehead props.
“At this point, Mako will not be fit enough to be selected this Monday,” Borthwick said. “It’s something we’re constantly monitoring.
“I know the 33 will be announced on Monday, but we also know that there will be changes as the tournament progresses.”
Borthwick revealed that Vunipola was able to put aside his undoubted disappointment at being denied a World Cup chance and channel his support to England’s preparations.
Vunipola sent a congratulatory message to the England squad ahead of yesterday’s warm-up friendly against Wales in Cardiff.
“Mako sent us a message wishing us all the best for the game against Wales,” said Borthwick.
England suffered their third consecutive defeat under Borthwick in a disheartening 9-20 defeat by Wales in Cardiff yesterday. Borthwick’s men now host Wales on Saturday before taking on Ireland in Dublin and entertaining Fiji before opening their World Cup with a game against Argentina in Marseille on September 9.
The English attack failed again and after the break the spontaneous build-up in the first half gave way to an unpredictable and nervous game. It had been insisted that the result in Cardiff would be of paramount importance, although there was clearly a need for experimentation and coordination in those four warm-up games.
However, in light of the defeat, Borthwick insisted full Testing acuity will not be reached for the next few weeks, particularly after a grueling fitness regimen over the past two months.
“The expectation is to get through those four games,” Borthwick said. “The team is getting sharper. We are still in a fairly intensive training phase.
“Then there will be a time when we work a lot on sharpness. Based on the number of opportunities created, I see progress in our attack.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/england-rugby-world-cup-squad-2023-mako-vunipola-b1098960.html Mako Vunipola will miss Rugby World Cup after failing to recover from back injury
