Billy Vunipola is on course to be fast-tracked back into England’s Rugby World Cup side with Steve Borthwick making clear the Saracens No 8 has a potentially key role to play in this year’s tournament.
The head coach omitted Vunipola from his initial Six Nations squad in January but now appears to regard the 30-year-old as a crucial cog in his squad plans.
Vunipola is still recovering from the knee injury which ended his season prematurely in April but Borthwick expects him to be ready to play in August when England have four pre-tournament warm-up fixtures.
“He’s certainly part of our plans as we go forward,” Borthwick said. “He’s been an important player for England for a number of seasons and I think he has the potential to be an important player for England.”
England’s back-row pecking order is far from settled with Exeter’s Sam Simmonds having made himself unavailable for the World Cup for family reasons before his summer move to Montpellier. It leaves Vunipola, Alex Dombrandt, the returning Zach Mercer and, potentially, Bordeaux’s Tom Willis jostling for position as Borthwick and his assistant coaches seek the right blend for France.
The head coach is also expected to find out this week whether the Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie will be fit and firing for the World Cup. Cowan-Dickie’s planned move to Montpellier has broken down but he is due to have further tests in the next couple of days to establish whether nerve damage in his neck has eased sufficiently to allow him to resume full-contact training.
Borthwick has admitted there has been “a high level of anxiety” among England’s London Irish contingent in the wake of the Exiles’ collapse into administration last week. Otherwise, though, Borthwick has been pleasantly surprised by the fitness of those in camp in Bagshot this week, having suggested in March that he did not feel his players were fit enough.
“I have been really impressed with the shape we are in,” said Borthwick, still without a clutch of established players who featured in the Premiership playoffs. “That tells me we have got a very ambitious group of young men here.
“I’ve said to the players that if they’re in camp it’s important to take their opportunities. I’m always looking for the 33 that we’re going to take to France, but I’m also always looking for the next player that’s going to be in.
“We have got a lot of good players … I think it is exciting what the team can potentially achieve in France. The more time I spend with the players the more I am excited about it.”
Changes to the format of next season’s Champions Cup pool stages have been confirmed with the 2023-24 competition set to involve four pools of six, rather than the more convoluted system of two pools featuring 12 teams apiece. Each club will play four pool stage matches against four different clubs who are not from their same domestic league.
Elsewhere, Florian Grill has been elected as the French rugby federation’s (FFR) president just three months before they host the men’s World Cup. The 57-year-old will be replacing Bernard Laporte, who was found guilty of corruption charges by a French court in December.
