#4. Billy Vunipola
Despite having not featured in Steve Borthwick’s plans since the former Leicester Tigers Head Coach took the reigns with England, Billy Vunipola is always a worthwhile asset for a squad to have during a long competition.
However, the Saracen’s chances of an England return wore ever thinner after he suffered a knee injury in mid-April. In an eerily similar style to that of Jonny Gray, Vunipola was stretchered off the pitch, as he came down hard on his knee against La Rochelle, in the Heineken Champions Cup.
Vunipola has been confirmed to be written out of Mark McCall’s plans for the rest of Saracens’ season, with the powerhouse number-eight set to miss the 2023 Gallagher Premiership Play-Offs.
It was a sorry sight for Sarries fans, as their back-rower was forced into an early exit, during the first half of Saracens quarter-final defeat to the French flyers.
Thankfully for Vunipola, it has been reported that after undergoing surgery, he should be fit ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
However, given Borthwick’s early tendency to overlook the Number Eight, and an extended time on the side-line hindering Vunipola’s match-fitness, it is becoming increasingly unlikely for Billy to make a Rugby World Cup return.
Yet as we know, injuries can happen at any time, and a Vunipola-sized reinforcement could well bolster a depleting squad in the latter stage of the competition.