Billy Vunipola has had a setback in his bid to be fit for selection for England’s World Cup squad after undergoing another operation on his injured knee.
Vunipola has been out of action since April and though Steve Borthwick was optimistic this month over the No 8’s fitness race, the Rugby Football Union has revealed he underwent a “minor surgical procedure” last Friday.
Vunipola is yet to feature for England under Borthwick but it is understood he is firmly in the head coach’s World Cup plans on the basis he proves his fitness. Alex Dombrandt struggled at No 8 during the Six Nations while Sam Simmonds has ruled himself out of contention and, though Zach Mercer is also in the mix in that position, Vunipola would provide Borthwick’s backrow with much-needed power.
It remains to be seen if Vunipola will be fit for England’s opening warmup match against Wales in Cardiff on 5 August, and with Borthwick naming his final World Cup squad two days later he may have to take a leap of faith with the 30-year-old.
For his part, Vunipola struck an upbeat tone over his chances of proving his fitness. “The medical team are positive about my prospects, and I understand exactly what needs to be done over the next few weeks,” he said.
While Vunipola continues his rehabilitation, Borthwick is putting his squad through their paces at another training camp in Teddington. He named a 36-man squad, with the omissions of Will Joseph, who has completed his move to Harlequins following the demise of London Irish, and Beno Obano the only changes from last week. Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ollie Lawrence, Ollie Chessum and Jack Walker are all in camp to continue their rehab.
Borthwick is still without players from Sale and Saracens as they complete their mandatory five-week rest periods, while Jack Willis remains absent having helped Toulouse to secure the Top 14 title.
Borthwick’s plans for the World Cup will become clearer on Friday when he names his first full training squad, which will include Sale and Saracens players.
Meanwhile, Warren Gatland has said Wales could have two captains at the World Cup after captain Ken Owens was ruled out of the tournament.
Owens has failed to recover from a back injury. The 36-year-old, who has been capped 91 times by his country, could feature in the later stages of the tournament if there was an injury at hooker, but he will not be named when Gatland announces his 33-man squad at the end of August.
“Ken didn’t train at all with us [in recent weeks] his back has not recovered,” Gatland said. “He has not been able to do any of the training. It is the same injury but not as severe as before so he may need an operation on that.
“He wanted to reiterate he has not retired from rugby and he is hoping potentially he could be available later if we pick up injuries in the tournament.”
Asked about Owens’ successor, Gatland said: “Co-captaincy is a possibility. We did that with Ellis Jenkins and Cory Hill in 2018 and it worked well.”
