Eddie Jones is quickly coming to learn why Stuart Lancaster, his predecessor as England head coach, used to dread the month of January. On Tuesday, it was announced that Ed Slater and Dave Attwood face lengthy spells on the sidelines because of injuries meaning that Jones will be missing at least eight players for all, or part, of the Six Nations Championship.
With another round of Aviva Premiership matches followed by back-to-back Champions Cup fixtures, it is a sure bet that list will grow significantly. Last year, England started the Championship against Wales without 12 players.
Eddie Jones, the England head coach, will soon name his first Six Nations squad
The blow of losing Slater and Attwood is softened by the strength of depth England possess in the second row. All four locks that played in the World Cup – Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Geoff Parling and George Kruis – are fit. The latter in particular is in outstanding form.
There are also plenty of alternatives for Jones to consider, not least Saracens’ Maro Itoje who was named Aviva Premiership player of the month for December on Monday. Josh Beaumont, son of former England captain Bill, has impressed for Sale while Matt Symons, who London Irish recruited from the Chiefs, has impressed in a struggling team. Mitch Lees, another lock Jones is known to have admired, is awaiting the scans of a bicep injury.
Both Slater and Attwood would have offered a physical alternative to England’s present options. For Slater, in particular, it is a cruel blow given his terrible luck with injuries. The 27-year-old had to go off in the 29th minute of his side’s defeat to Saracens after sustaining ligament damage. He missed nearly all of last season after rupturing his ACL playing for England against Canterbury in June 2014. That was an uncapped game and the wait for his full England debut will go on.
Alex Corbisiero is another England player to suffer injury
“Ed has medial ligament damage,” Cockerill said. “It’s not too bad, but it will probably be six to eight weeks. It's not ideal or what we needed. Hopefully, he won't need surgery, but we will only be able to make a decision on that once the swelling has gone down. Thankfully, the injury is not to the same knee that caused his problems last season. It's just bad luck rather than because of ongoing problems.”
Attwood too had a point to prove this season after being cut from the World Cup squad despite featuring throughout last year’s Six Nations. As he recently told Telegraph Sport, he had grown frustrated by receiving mixed messages from the previous coaching group and was determined to regain his place. That goal has now been dashed.
“Dave Attwood’s having surgery today, so he’ll be out for a while,” Ford said. “He’s trapped a nerve and has a bulging disc in his neck. His Six Nations chances are gone. It will be anything between 10 and 12 weeks.”
The outlook on Tuilagi is also bleak, but then that is hardly new. The 24-year-old has not played a match since October 2014 because of a groin injury with comeback dates being scrubbed in and rubbed out with infuriating regularity. Having been ruled out of the East Midlands derby and with no A League games to participate in, Tuilagi will have just two games in the Champions Cup against Treviso and Stade Francais to prove his fitness.
Even then there is no guarantee he will be available. Last week Cockerill made the point that Leicester will only release Tuilagi when they deem him fit enough and was not prepared to offer any succour to Jones. “Manu will play when he’s ready to play,” he said. “He’s very close to playing, we just have to make sure he’s right.”
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