England powerhouse Mako Vunipola has handed England a fitness boost days before their Rugby World Cup opener.
The Saracens prop has returned to live scrummaging ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring strain.
“We’ve had a really good day,” scrum coach Neal Hatley said.
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“Everyone’s trained. Mark Wilson’s trained, Joe Cokanasiga’s trained, Mako’s done live scrums, Jack Nowell’s been flying down the side of the pitch, so really pleased with where we are and how people are coming on.
“With the short turnaround, we’ll see where we get to with him (Vunipola). We’ve got obviously Joe (Marler) and Ellis (Genge), two fantastic looseheads, so we’re not going to push Mak, but it’s brilliant where he is, we didn’t think he’d be doing live scrums today.
“So it’s testament the work that the medical staff’s done and how hard Mak’s worked that he’s back in a position to do live scrums early.”