Wasps duo added to England's injury concerns
INJURY UPDATE: England boss Eddie Jones suffered further pre-Six Nations injury scares as Wasps’ Champions Cup campaign ended with a 19-37 defeat against Leinster.
Brad Shields was withdrawn from the Wasps’ side to take on Leinster just over an hour before kick-off at the Ricoh Arena.
“Wasps have been forced into a late team change ahead of their Champions Cup clash with Leinster Rugby, as Ben Morris steps in for Brad Shields who misses out with a side strain,” said the club in a statement.
Then just 10 minutes into the game, second row Joe Launchbury was injured while attempted to tackle Devin Toner. Toner appeared to land on the England forward’s neck as they collided.
Launchbury was taken off the field to undergo a HIA, which he passed.
However, he did not return to the field.
20′ @joe_launch has passed his HIA but isn’t coming back on
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) January 20, 2019
Both are unwelcome concerns for Jones, especially with the news that captain Owen Farell needs surgery.
Jones said he is “cautiously optimistic” Farrell will be fit for the Six Nations opener against Ireland, despite needing surgery to fix a thumb injury.
Jones and his players head for Portugal on Wednesday for a training camp before the Australian names his 25-man party to face Ireland on January 31.
RugbyPass has created a next generation rugby rating system, based on machine learning and shaped by game winning moments. The system (RPI) is a world first for its complexity and comprehensive embrace of northern and southern hemisphere players and teams. By using in-depth data analysis, RPI determines exactly what it takes to win, in real time. Explore the RPI now!
