Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Borthwick: Coronavirus threat to Six Nations 'not a distraction'

By Online Editors
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

England are refusing to allow escalating fears over the spread of the coronavirus to disrupt the final two rounds of their Guinness Six Nations title challenge.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eddie Jones’ side are due to visit Rome on the final day of the tournament on March 14 but that game appears in growing danger of being postponed with Italy in the grip of a mounting crisis.

Twelve people have died from the disease in Italy and the country has reported a total of 374 cases. As a result, Ireland’s clash with Italy in Dublin on Saturday week has already been called off due to the outbreak.

England are preparing for their clash with Wales in the penultimate round at a three-day camp in Oxford and assistant coach Steve Borthwick insists it is business as usual.

“It’s not a distraction. The squad are together and looking forward to two-and-a-half days of training together and improving. We want to move forward again. That’s what we’re concentrating on,” Borthwick said.

(Continue reading below…)

The Rugby Pod rounds up all last weekend’s Guinness Six Nations and Gallagher Premiership action

Video Spacer

Anthony Watson is back in contention for the Wales game on Saturday week after being named in a 25-man training squad that has gathered in Oxford.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bath and Lions wing Watson has yet to make an appearance in the Championship because of a calf problem but could be available for the visit of Wayne Pivac’s men to Twickenham.

“Anthony is progressing well. He’s been doing his rehab and was running earlier in the week. We’re monitoring him day by day to make sure you get the right balance in his training,” Borthwick said. “The Wales game is still nine or 10 days so we’ll just monitor it on a daily basis.”

Also among the 25 is Sale back row Mark Wilson, who is making his first appearance in an England squad in this Six Nations as he continues his comeback from a knee problem.

“Mark looks in good shape. He’s been back on the field for Sale. He’ll train with us over the next few days and we’ll see where he’s at,” Borthwick said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He brings an incredible work-rate. And there’s a toughness and resilience in the way he plays. He carries well and at the breakdown he’s excellent. But the sheer volume of work he gets through in a game is immense. He has a fantastic attitude as a professional.”

Prop Mako Vunipola and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie are missing for family reasons, however. Vunipola has returned to Tonga for an unspecified length of time and is a major doubt for the penultimate round of the Six Nations.

Cowan-Dickie has been limited to two superb replacement appearances in this tournament because of the premature birth of his son.

Rookie full-back George Furbank is in camp to continue his rehabilitation from the groin problem that forced him to miss the 24-12 rout of Ireland.

– Press Association 

WATCH: Top Wallabies reveal the Israel Folau drama split their World Cup squad

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search