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England facing possible backrow reshuffle

Brad Shields, England and Wasps. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
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England could be forced into a change in their backrow with Brad Shields looking increasingly doubtful for their Six Nations opener with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

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Shields pulled out of Wasps’ recent Heineken Champions Cup game with Leinster at the Ricoh because of a side strain but travelled to the Algarve to join up with the England squad.

Shields was not involved in training on Tuesday prompting fears he will not be fit in time to make the game at the Aviva Stadium.

The former Hurricanes captain broke into the England squad for the June tour of South Africa and can operate at lock or in the backrow. He was first choice blindside flanker during the Novemnber internationals for matches against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

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Courtney Lawes operated in the 6 jersey against Japan, however Mark Wilson is likely to get the nod instead, with the player regularly selected in that position for Newcastle Falcons. Wilson was also an impressive performer during the Autumn for England, when playing at number 8 and at openside. With Billy Vunipola likely to return at number 8, it could be the perfect solution to keep Wilson in the team.

Centre Ben Te’o also missed out on training on Tuesday. Eddie Jones will whittle down his 35-man squad later on Tuesday, with his matchday squad set to be named on Thursday.

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On Monday it was revealed that Jack Clifford returned home after the backrow suffered a head injury in training.

“Jack took a knock to the head so what we’ve decided to do is to manage him,” said England defence coach John Mitchell.

“It’s not an HIA outcome but it’s more important to manage him, so he’s returned home early as he won’t be able to get through most of the work remaining.”

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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