A favourite emerges to replace England No.8 Billy Vunipola

England’s preparation for the upcoming Rugby World Cup has taken a second blow with the suspension of their first-choice No.8, Billy Vunipola.

Vunipola was suspended following an incident during the Summer Nations Series fixture against Ireland in Dublin over the weekend, where he was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on loosehead Andrew Porter. It was subsequently upgraded to a red card upon video review.

The suspension has meant he will be unavailable for England’s critical opening World Cup clash against Argentina, leaving head coach Steve Borthwick with a decision to make.

With Vunipola set to miss the opening match, attention has now shifted to potential replacements, and a clear frontrunner has emerged.

Sale Sharks’ versatile loose forward, Tom Curry, is the bookies’ preferred candidate to step into Vunipola’s shoes as England’s starting No.8 aginst Argentina. William Hill have Curry listed as the leading contender at odds of 5/4. His ability to transition between openside flanker and No.8 in the past has undoubtedly put him in a strong position to fill the void left by Vunipola’s suspension.

While Curry leads the pack, other contenders are vying for the spot. Ben Earl, Vunipola’s club teammate, is listed at 2/1, although it would mean England’s pack losing about 28kg of mass. The betting odds also include Lewis Ludlam and Tom Willis, both at 5/1.

Interestingly Zach Mercer, who was cut by Borthwick last month, is listed at 6/1, the same as Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt, as a potential candidate to replace Vuniopla in the starting line-up.

Callum Chick is listed at 7/1, while British & Irish Lions and former Exeter Chiefs No.8 Sam Simmonds is a long shot at 16/1. Simmonds is currently settling into life at Montpellier, so won’t have to go far if he does get a surprise call-up from Borthwick next month.