ENGLAND are keeping their selection cards close to their chest with assistant coach Mike Catt reluctant to give away even the smallest details about injured players ahead of Sunday’s Pool A clash with Australia.
The team which lost to Wales at the weekend leaked out 36 hours before the official announcement last week. England coach Stuart Lancaster will only announce his team on Thursday after he has assessed injuries to centre Jonathan Joseph, scrum-half Ben Youngs and second-row Courtney Lawes.
Asked to clarify the state of play with the injuries at a media conference, Catt said: “All are recovering nicely. We are going to make a final selection on Thursday. We will see who is fit and healthy and make the final decision then.”
The former England international back then trotted out the same line when asked to go through the injured players individually.
England, with just one victory (against Fiji) need to win the Twickenham clash to have a chance of staying in the competition.
Joseph, who missed the Wales game because of a knock to his chest, is an important player for Lancaster because of his creativity in the midfield. Youngs, who has hurt his ankle, was one of England’s strongest players against Wales and Lawes, who has a knee injury, has been an influential player in the pack.
England have also lost number eight Billy Vunipola for the rest of the tournament with a knee ligament injury. He has been replaced by 37-year-old Nick Easter.
“It is massively disappointing for Billy Vunipola.
“He has got two or three more World Cups left in him,” Catt said.
“Nick has been there before and is a specialist eight so that is what we want. He will give us the added lift that the boys need.”
Asked about criticism of England from former players in the media, Catt added:
“The criticism is external white noise which is irrelevant.
“We are massively excited that we have got Australia at Twickenham and that everything is on this one game for us.
“If you get concerned about the external effects you are not in a good place. Our job is to beat Australia.”
