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England's notorious training camp claims a sixth player, Josh McNally

(Photo by Alex Davidson/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Bath lock Josh McNally has become the sixth player injured in England’s notoriously brutal training environment, following hot on the heels of Worcester’s Ted Hill.

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NcNally earned his first international cap against the US Eagles last weekend but suffered a shoulder injury in training which has ruled him out of contention for this weekend’s game against Canada.

As with Hill, the 31-year-old will remain with England for rest of the summer series with further assessment needed to discover the full extent of the injury.

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“We are extremely proud of Josh’s journey and the challenges he has had to overcome to achieve international recognition,” Bath Director of Rugby Stuart Hooper said. “His professionalism and leadership during his time at Bath has been exemplary and we are confident these attributes will aid his rehabilitation back to the field.

“We will support Josh throughout his recovery to ensure a safe and strong return.”

Fellow back five forward Hill suffered an ankle injury and will also be kept in camp for further assessment. Hill and McNally are the fifth and sixth injuries to befall England’s current camp in the last four weeks alone. Sean Robinson, Miles Reid, Fraser Dingwall and Sam Underhill all picked injuries in camp, although Underhill did go on to play a part in England’s victory over the US Eagles last weekend.

“Unfortunately, they are just part of the game. I don’t think it is new in the game at all,” said defence coach John Mitchell when asked about the spate of injuries two weeks ago. “You have had other teams, including the Lions, that have lost players in their preparation. The demands of this level of rugby require you to train and stress the players at a level that is equivalent to the game or above the game. It’s part and parcel of the preparation.”

A late bloomer, McNally moved to Bath after two seasons with London Irish and became one of England’s oldest debut cap ever when he won his first cap at the age of 31.

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M
Mzilikazi 2 hours ago
Does the next Wallabies coach have to be an Australian?

Great read on a fascinating topic, Nick. Thanks as always.


My gut feel is that Joe Schmidt won't carry on through to the next RWC. He is at the stage, and age, in his life , that a further two years in a very high pressure coaching job would not be a good thing for either himself or his family. The fact that he remains based in Taupo seems a significant pointer, I would have thought. I believe he has a round trip of 12 hrs driving just to get on a plane to Australia.


Amongst the many good things Joe Schmidt has achieved to this point is that the WB's are now a more enticing prospect to coach going forward.


Tbh, the only Australian coach I would see stepping up and developing the WB's further would be Les Kiss. He has far more in his CV than any other Australian. He now has 23 years of coaching Union,starting with a defence role with the Boks, then back to Australia with the Waratahs. Overseas again for nine years in Ireland, which included 5 years as defence coach with the national team, during which he was interim head coach for two games, both wins. His last years in Ireland were with Ulster, even then a team beginning a decline. So that spell was his least successful. Finally the spell with London Irish, where I felt Kiss was doing very well, till the club collapsed financially.


Of the other Australian options, Dan McKellar has a lot to prove post the year with Leicester. Stephen Larkham has not, in my view, yet shown outstanding qualities as a coach. Nether man has anything close to Kiss's experience. Some may see this as being harsh on both men, ignoring good work they have done. But is how I see it.


Looking outside Australia, I would see Vern Cotter as a strong possibility, if interested. His time with Scotland was outstanding. Ronan O'Gara, I would think, might well be another possibility, though he has no international experience. Jake White ? Maybe .

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