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England's Asher Opoku-Fordjour ruled out of Six Nations
By Neil Fissler
England tighthead Asher Opoku-Fordjour is set to have an operation on a shoulder injury that he suffered in training with his club side Sale Sharks, which will rule him out of the Six Nations.
Coventry-born Opoku-Fordjour, 21, hasn’t played since picking up an elbow injury in the Gallagher PREM defeat against Exeter Chiefs at the end of November and was on the verge of a comeback when he suffered his setback.
Sharks boss Alex Sanderson says that Opoku-Fordjour, who started England’s win over Argentina in their final Quilter Nations Series clash, will have his date with the surgeon’s knife in Cardiff tomorrow while the team travels to Toulouse.
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It’s a blow to Steve Borthwick, who made him the youngest English prop to win a cap when he came off the bench against Japan at Twickenham in November 2024, with their first Six Nations match against Wales three weeks away.
“He will be having an operation to stabilise his shoulder in Cardiff tomorrow, which essentially puts him out for the next couple of months. It’s a real shocker for him, us and England.
“It was a contact on the ground last week that destabilised his shoulder. I haven’t really got much more information than that. He was training and running, but wasn’t feeling good and went for a scan.
“And you have to follow medical opinion. It’s a routine operation, and he will be back at the end of the Six Nations, I’d imagine,” he said.
Sanderson says that Opoku-Fordjour has the kind of mentality that will let him take the massive disappointment of missing the Six Nations in his stride.
“It takes a special kind of person to take on the psychological load of playing international rugby at tighthead at 19 or 20 years old anyway. So he has got that ability to handle and reframe.
“Most people would go dark and down rabbit holes. He doesn’t, he just gets on with it. I had a little chat and cuddle with him and wished him the best, and he said, ‘yeah thanks, no problem.’
“He is probably looking ahead to when he comes back and how strong and fit he is going to be. That’s the type of character that he is. People have a mentality that suits the pro game. He is one of them,” he added.
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