England have confirmed that they expect star pair of Jonny May and Jack Nowell to be fit for this Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final in Japan.
If the duo are fit it will mean that head coach Eddie Jones will have a fully fit 31-man squad to select from ahead of their biggest test of the tournament so far.
Winger May picked up a hamstring injury during Saturday’s 40-16 victory over Australia during their quarter-final showdown, however, assistant coach Neal Hatley was upbeat when discussing the situation earlier today.
“Jonny’s bouncing around this (Monday) morning. He has a small twinge and we’ll assess where he is a little bit later today,” he said.
It is a huge boost for England, as May was in flying form on Saturday running in two tries during his 50th international cap.
Meanwhile, Nowell, who only returned from a long-term ankle injury during England’s pool game against Argentina, in which he scored a brilliant try. Although his return came at a price as he suffered a minor hamstring injury, but again Hatley is positive about the versatile backs’ recovery.
“He’s in really good spirits, moving well, and we expect Jack to be fit for selection as well. It’s fantastic where we are – all 31 being available for selection at the end of the week,” he added.
England have been receiving boosts over the past couple of weeks with the likes of Mako Vunipola coming back to full-fitness and staring during Saturday’s win.
Now, with a fully fit squad the English will hope that they can build the necessary momentum going into this Saturday’s crunch clash where they will look to dethrone the reigning back to back World Cup champions in what is sure to be a cracker of a match.
