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Henry Slade suffers England training ground injury

By PA
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Henry Slade is a doubt for the climax to the England Guinness Six Nations campaign against Ireland on Saturday because of a lower leg problem. Slade sustained the calf injury in training on Monday and a decision on his availability for the round-five clash at the Aviva Stadium is expected on Tuesday.

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The strides taken by England in attack during the last two games have brought out the best in the Exeter Chiefs man, who has forged an improving centre partnership with Owen Farrell.

England have called Harlequins back Joe Marchant into camp as cover for Slade, but if he fails to recover in time then Ollie Lawrence or Paolo Odogwu are most likely to benefit by filling the vacancy in midfield.

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Eddie Jones’ post-game media conference after England’s win over France

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Eddie Jones’ post-game media conference after England’s win over France

“The way Henry works off the ball is second to none. The way he puts himself in a position to attack and defend is brilliant,” said England skills coach Ed Robinson. “The way he sprints to chase kicks is phenomenal and that is a massive part of his game. He’s a big driver in that for us.

“Joe is a fantastic player because of the way he works on and off the ball. His skill set on the ball and the way he supports are both excellent.”

Lawrence would be the frontrunner to fill the void if Slade is ruled out as he looks to add to the two appearances made during this Six Nations. The powerful Worcester centre started the opening weekend defeat by Scotland and was not seen again until Saturday’s impressive 23-20 victory over France at Twickenham where he made a nine-minute cameo appearance.

Odogwu was called into a senior England squad for the first time at the start of the Championship but the destructive Wasp outside back has yet to win his first cap. A left-field choice to replace Slade would be Elliot Daly, who has made way for Max Malins at full-back but has vast experience at outside centre, most notably for his former club Wasps where he made his name.

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However, Daly has only filled the 13 jersey once for Eddie Jones with the majority of his international career taking place at 15 and on the wing. England rescued their Six Nations from disaster by toppling France in outstanding fashion, showing flair and resilience to dispatch a side who arrived at Twickenham as tournament favourites.

And although there is nothing at stake in Dublin apart from pride, Robinson insists there is a determination to take another step forward. “There’s a good feeling in camp because we feel like we performed well, but we also feel like we’re nowhere near our best. So there’s a real hunger and drive to get better every day to perform to our best,” Robinson said.

“We got really good go-forward with the forwards against France and we’d just like to be able to go and finish a few more of the opportunities off. We know Ireland will be well prepared for the game. And we know that they will be physical because it’s a massive game.”

 

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Trevor 32 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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