Eddie Jones will hold a crucial training session on Thursday morning before finalising his England team to face Ireland with Kyle Sinckler understood to be among the players hampered by injury or illness this week.
Sinckler is believed to be managing a back problem and did not take part in Tuesday’s training session, instead limited to exercises away from the pitch. Wednesday was due to be the players’ recovery day but Sinckler was put through his paces alone in a bid to ready himself.
Jones will name his team after Thursday’s full-on session and while Sinckler is expected to take part he will no doubt be monitored closely. Joe Heyes was retained in a 26-man group as the third tighthead prop and Will Stuart is standing by for the No 3 jersey if Sinckler suffers a setback. While there is a degree of optimism Sinckler will be deemed fit, his absence would be a huge blow as England seek to keep their hopes of the Six Nations title alive and his interrupted training week comes as a further headache for Jones regardless.
Tom Curry has had to pass through the return to play protocols before returning to full training and Thursday’s training session is also set to determine whether Alex Dombrandt can take his place in the 23-man squad after the No 8 tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Dombrandt will have to come through rigorous testing in order to prove himself ready but both Joe Marler and Joe Marchant have recently come straight back into the matchday squad soon after emerging from isolation.
A place on the bench may be most likely for Dombrandt, however, with Sam Simmonds in the frame to start at No 8 and with Jones thought to be considering loading his replacements bench with six forwards, Alfie Barbeary could be in line for a debut. The 21-year-old was kept on as part of the wider 26-man squad and would offer considerable gainline punch – something England have lacked in recent weeks – if he was part of the matchday 23.
Elsewhere, Jones is likely to largely stick by the side who beat Wales, though Jamie George is set to come in at hooker with Luke Cowan-Dickie sidelined for the rest of the tournament. Marchant may also supplant Elliot Daly at outside centre, having been called up as a late replacement against Wales following Manu Tuilagi’s withdrawal through injury.
Joe Launchbury is expected to feature in the squad for the first time in 15 months but Charlie Ewels is hoping he retains the starting jersey alongside Maro Itoje in the second row. He and Itoje were in the same under-18s side who overcame Ireland in an age-grade final back in 2012 with Ewels recently posting a picture of them both on social media.
He said: “I was in his shadow back then, and I still am now! He was very similar to how he is now – clever, he’d just taken a scholarship at Harrow, he played the same way that he plays now, big, abrasive ball-carrier, getting stuck in. He’s just a heightened version of what he was back then. In games we have a greater understanding of each other and each of our strengths and weaknesses.”
Meanwhile, the RFU has confirmed it will fly the Ukraine flag alongside the England and Ireland colours at Twickenham on Saturday.
