Rugby World Cup: England squad expected to be fully fit for semi-final against New Zealand
England will aim to get past the defending champions to reach the World Cup Final
England is ready to face defending champions, New Zealand, in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. The match is to be played on 26th October, Saturday.
As the latest reports come in, the English side expects to step onto the field with a fully-fit squad. In their quarter-final game against Australia, Jonny May scored two tries. Eventually, the British won the game 40-16. However, May's hamstring injury caused some headaches for England Coach Eddie Jones.
Jack Nowell also has a hamstring injury. Although both these players' absences can cause massive trouble for the English squad, assistant coach Neal Hatley believes that everything will be fine before the semi-finals.
Hatley confirmed that May jumped around during their training session this morning. As of now, the player has a little twinge. Hatley said that the fitness team would assess May soon. They are confident that May would don the three lions jersey on Saturday.
As BBC reports, Hatley spoke out about May's injury, "It's fantastic where we are, all 31 being available for selection at the end of the week. Jonny's bouncing around this morning. He has a small twinge and we'll assess where he is a little bit later today. He's in really good spirits, moving well, and we expect Jack to be fit for selection as well."
Speaking of Nowell, the player returned to the pitch during the game against Argentina, after recovering from an ankle injury. However, he is still suffering from a hamstring situation. Mako Vunipola was also suffering a hamstring injury. However, he returned to the pitch and performed brilliantly against the Wallabies.
Even Hatley seemed to have been "unbelievably impressed" by Vunipola's terrific performance. Speaking of Mako, Hatley said that the player has tremendous ability to change the match's direction when he is on peak form. Simultaneously, the assistant coach claims that all the players in the squad are trying hard to make an impact as part of the team. Therefore, Mako must continue his impressive performances to secure his spot in the future.
According to sources, coach Jones would declare the final XI for the semi-final on Thursday. The All Blacks are aiming to win their third consecutive World Cup title. England must will face a tough challenge to make it to the final.
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