England’s Rugby World Cup prospects have received a sizeable boost with the powerful forwards Ollie Chessum and Billy Vunipola both primed for a return to action this month. Chessum had been rated a major doubt but has made a remarkable recovery from a serious ankle injury while Vunipola is back in full training ahead of Saturday’s opening warm-up game against Wales.
Chessum, 22, was among the stand-out English forwards in the Six Nations last season until he sustained a fracture dislocation before the final game in Ireland in mid-March. A little over four-and-a-half months later the towering lock is now in line to secure a berth in England’s 33-man World Cup squad which will be unveiled on Monday.
With Vunipola also now restored to full fitness after two knee operations which have kept him out of action since April, the England management are hoping both men will add invaluable oomph to a red rose pack that will be central to the squad’s fortunes in France. “Ollie looks really good and he’s really close to full training,” said the attack coach Richard Wigglesworth, who was Chessum’s head coach at Leicester last season.
“He’s done incredibly well and has been so diligent with his rehab. He’s definitely a great character but he’s also a top quality player who we are keen to get fit. It looks like that’s very close. When he’s fit and firing he brings an energy with him that’s infectious. He’s someone who’s just going to get better and better.”
The 30-year-old Vunipola is a far more seasoned campaigner but England would dearly love him to be at full throttle for their opening pool fixture against Argentina in Marseille on 9 September. “He looks highly motivated and he’s had a big impact in training,” Wigglesworth said. “He’s shown his class and his form. His training has been slightly modified but not much. He’s in most things.”
With 41 players vying for 33 positions there are destined to be some disappointed individuals when the squad is confirmed. Steve Borthwick and his coaches will hold their final selection meeting in Cardiff on Saturday night before the official Twickenham announcement on Monday, with the Harlequins pair Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt among those facing a particularly anxious wait. Should England opt to take just two specialist fly-halves Smith’s position will become vulnerable while Vunipola and Tom Willis are both in competition with Dombrandt for selection at No 8.
As a former international player himself Wigglesworth knows exactly how the fringe squad members will be feeling – “You can’t take the elephant out of the room when selection gets closer” – but says the management are not specifically looking at Saturday’s game as a final trial. “If you go into it thinking it’s a trial game, both personally and as a team, we’re going to come unstuck.
after newsletter promotion
“We’ve been very clear that this is England versus Wales in Cardiff. It’s a Test match in its own right. Warren Gatland knows how to prepare a team and they’ve just been to Turkey, so they will come back fit and firing. Playing Wales in Cardiff you know you’re going to get some intensity and they’ll be well drilled. We don’t want to throw someone into a Test match and say: ‘Prove you’re fit.’ We train in a way where we’ll find that out anyway.”
Wigglesworth has also revealed he is keen to talk to England’s cricketers about the positive “Bazball” ethos which lit up the recent Ashes series. “I’m intrigued by what they are doing and how they’ve done it. You want to learn from any sport that is doing something interesting and they’ve definitely got something going. Hopefully we’ll be able to pick their brains at some point.”
