BREAKING: England's Courtney Lawes 'absent' ahead of World Cup opener - Ruck

BREAKING: England’s Courtney Lawes ‘absent’ ahead of World Cup opener

England has minimized worries regarding Courtney Lawes’ physical condition as they prepare for their Rugby World Cup debut against Argentina this Saturday.

Lawes is poised to lead Steve Borthwick’s team in their Pool D kickoff in Marseille.

Despite experiencing some discomfort, the seasoned forward participated in England’s initial training session upon their arrival in Le Touquet on Thursday but was unable to attend the capping ceremony.

“Courtney is a bit sore from training on Friday so we decided the best thing for him was to not sit in a chair for an hour or so then have to stand up,” Wigglesworth said.

“He is resting at the hotel. He is a bit sore from training – the pitch was heavy because of the rain. Nothing too serious, we are just looking after him.

“We have a few little bumps and bruises like everyone has, but I think we will go into next weekend with a pretty full bill of health.”

The 100 best rugby players in the world:

With less than a fortnight remaining until the commencement of the Rugby World Cup, the rugby specialists at Telegraph Sport have collaboratively assessed and ranked the top 100 players globally.

Presented below is the comprehensive list, starting from the 100th spot and culminating at the first position.

100. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)

99. Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)

98. Franco Mostert (South Africa)

97. Paul Alo-Emile (Samoa)

96. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)

95 Juan Martín González (Argentina)

94. Jasper Wiese (South Africa)

93. Damian Willemse (South Africa)

92. Mark Telea (New Zealand)

91. Faf de Klerk (South Africa)

90. Handré Pollard (South Africa)

89. James Lowe (Ireland)

88. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland)

87. Paul Willemse (France)

86. Shannon Frizell (New Zealand)

85. Freddie Steward (England)

They wrote: “The best England player to emerge in this four-year cycle, without question. Steward has come a long way from having to ditch a shift in Costa to turn out for Leicester in the Premiership Rugby Cup, to becoming England’s specialist diffuser under the high ball at full-back while hoovering up a number of awards. The potential is enormous, and he should thrive at his first World Cup.”

84. Thibaud Flament (France)

83. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)

82. Matthieu Jalibert (France)

81.. Jac Morgan (Wales)

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