Rugby World Cup: England rocked by injury
England have been dealt a devastating blow with news that one of their key players will not be heading to the World Cup.
England scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet has been ruled out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup after suffering a horrendous injury against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
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ENGLAND’S WIN CAME AT A COST
England and Wales squared off in the RWC warm-up at the weekend and England managed to chalked up a 19-17 victory.
But the hard-fought win proved costly as England lost Van Poortvliet to above mentioned injury, while captain Owen Farrell faces a lengthy suspension that could see him miss a large part of the World Cup pool stages for his dangerous shoulder to the head hit on Welshman Taine Basham.
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RUGBY WORLD CUP REPLACEMENT CALLED UP
In a statement released on Monday, the Rugby Football Union confirmed that Van Poortvliet will require corrective surgery on the ankle injury.
But while many believed Van Poortvliet’s fate could open the door for either one of England’s veteran scrumhalves, Danny Care or Ben Youngs, coach Steve Borthwick has put his faith in another rookie No 9 with Alex Mitchell of Northampton Saints called into the England squad as his replacement.
“It’s really bad luck for Jack,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick. “We send him our very best wishes for a swift and successful recovery.”
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