Chessum And Freeman Serious Doubts To Face All Blacks In Blow To England

Ollie Chessum and Tommy Freeman are superior wounded doubts for England’s conflict pinch New Zealand, handing Steve Borthwick a awesome headache earlier nan showdown astatine Twickenham connected Saturday.

The 2 British & Irish Lions players sat retired training connected Monday and their information against nan All Blacks is successful jeopardy. Chessum is struggling pinch a ft wounded and was seen connected crutches astatine England’s training guidelines successful Bagshot. He was replaced aft 70 minutes of the 38-18 triumph against Fiji past weekend and, successful nan apt arena he is ruled out, Maro Itoje’s expected second-row partner would beryllium Alex Coles.

Freeman was besides replaced successful nan second stages of nan triumph past play and it is understood he is nursing a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has go an integral portion of Borthwick’s back-line, starting astatine outside-centre against Australia earlier moving backmost to nan correct helping against Fiji. He has started each England matches he has been disposable for since nan commencement of 2024 and his absence would truthful beryllium a sizeable rustle to Borthwick.

Elliot Daly has returned to afloat training but has not played since he fractured an limb erstwhile connected work pinch nan Lions successful June and it would beryllium a immense telephone to propulsion him consecutive backmost into action against New Zealand. Freddie Steward (hand) and Tom Roebuck (ankle) missed retired against Fiji but person returned to training and Borthwick will beryllium desperately hoping some are disposable to look nan All Blacks. If they are not, Borthwick would beryllium facing a back-three crisis.

Steward started against Australia and would look to beryllium successful title pinch Daly for nan No 15 jersey if Borthwick does not support Marcus Smith astatine full-back. If Roebuck is fresh he would beryllium nan expected replacement for Freeman. Borthwick did uncover that Freeman was backmost nether information to commencement successful nan No 13 jersey against New Zealand but Ollie Lawrence would astir apt stay astatine outside-centre if nan Northampton Saint is unavailable.

Tommy Freeman flies down nan helping against Fiji. His absence against New Zealand would beryllium a large problem for Steve Borthwick. Photograph: Javier García/Shutterstock

Chessum has endured a bid of superior injuries connected world work and Borthwick will beryllium hoping desperately that nan Leicester Tigers skipper is not sidelined for long. He missed each of nan autumn run past twelvemonth aft a knee wounded astatine England’s mentation campy successful Girona and astir missed retired connected nan 2023 World Cup because of an ankle wounded successful nan Six Nations that year.

Borthwick is not blessed pinch a wealthiness of second-row options and, if Itoje and Coles are named to commencement against New Zealand, Chandler Cunningham-South would beryllium pressed into providing cover. He started astatine No 8 against Fiji but Borthwick is expected to reshuffle his backmost statement pinch Sam Underhill coming backmost into nan fold.

The 29-year-old destructive tackler sat retired nan triumph against Fiji but has started 13 of England’s 16 matches since nan 2023 World Cup. It would beryllium a astonishment if Tom Curry, who has travel disconnected nan chair successful some England’s matches this autumn to date, did not return to nan starting lineup.

England entertain nan All Blacks connected nan backmost of 9 consecutive Test victories but person mislaid their past 3 encounters, each by constrictive margins, and person not beaten New Zealand astatine Twickenham since Manu Tuilagi ran riot successful 2012.

Underhill is 1 of nan fewer members of nan squad to person tasted triumph complete nan All Blacks, aft he and Curry starred arsenic Eddie Jones’s “Kamikaze Kids” successful nan 2019 World Cup semi-final victory.

“As a squad they are incredibly bully decision-makers and they return advantage of teams that are slow to respond to things,” said Underhill, who had a memorable precocious effort disallowed against New Zealand successful a constrictive 2018 defeat.

“You person almost sewage to spot nan crippled arsenic quickly arsenic you can, past nan beingness intensity; they are an diversion team, a move squad that make nan astir of abstraction and velocity of shot to springiness their diversion guys nan expertise to show what they tin do.”