England’s half-back duo of Owen Farrell and Danny Care are facing a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s third and final Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell are also nursing knocks picked up in Saturday’s second Test defeat to the All Blacks, with Bath’s Kyle Eastmond in line to return to a rejigged back division.
Farrell has a knee-ligament problem while Care sustained a blow to his shoulder during the 28-27 loss that enabled New Zealand to take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead. While neither injury is understood to be serious, the head coach Stuart Lancaster has a range of options open to him and is reluctant to pick players who cannot train fully during the week.
It opens up the possibility of a recall for Freddie Burns at fly-half, possibly alongside Eastmond and Manu Tuilagi, whose first Test foray on the wing was not an instant success. Twelvetrees has hurt the same ankle that threatened his availability for the tour, albeit a different part of it, while Burrell has also sustained an ankle strain.
At the end of a long season there is no point flogging half-fit players. “I’ll keep the door open but it does create some selection decisions,” said Lancaster. “The doctor is pretty optimistic on all of them but it’s a question of when they are fit to train. Effectively you’ve only got Tuesday’s training before you announce the team.”
In addition England have Tuesday’s game against the Crusaders to factor in and are also contemplating some tweaks to their forward pack, with Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes and Billy Vunipola all starting candidates. Eastmond’s positive display at inside-centre in the first Test already seems likely to count in his favour. “Kyle is definitely in the equation,” said the head coach. “You base a lot on what you see in training and his performance in the first Test also means he is a genuine contender.”
Lancaster, meanwhile, has defended the decision to play Tuilagi on the right wing, insisting it did not cost England the game. “Manu playing on the right wing was certainly not the reason why we went through that period of 20 minutes when the All Blacks increased their intensity and pressure. He was our top carrier and made most metres.
“There were a couple of occasions when the ball was at the back of the lineout with Manu ready to explode off the wing, only for us to drop the ball twice. They’re little things that contribute to the bigger picture. We’ll wait and see how this week goes. He’s certainly a very good option for us at 13 and I don’t think he let anyone down on the wing.”
Collectively, however, Lancaster accepts England need to cut down the unforced errors that helped the All Blacks back into the game. “We gave too much ball away too easily, that’s the bit we need to be better at.
“I don’t think there is a magic wand … for me this tour has always been about who can and who can’t deliver at the highest level under intense pressure.
“The All Blacks have been through this evolution as a team and we’re still on that journey. We still have some decisions to make over the next 12 months as to what our best and most suitable combinations are. We should have been further ahead at half-time … no one is sat here happy because we know we have got to be better. I feel frustrated we’ve not managed to get the win a lot of our players deserved.”
