Ireland’s World Cup chances inadvertently boosted after horror French and English injuries

An absolute disaster for the lad.

France and England have both been hit by brutal injury news, ahead of the Rugby World Cup. England have already called up cover in their half-backs department while France go into the tournament without Romain Ntamack. The Toulouse talisman went off injured after 55 minutes of a tight warm-up win over Scotland and L'Equipe has reported his World Cup hopes have been dashed. https://twitter.com/RomainNtamack/status/1691017390773944320 The partnership between Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont is crucial to the World Cup hopes of France, the tournament hosts. Les Bleus are likely to give Mathieu Jallibert the No.10 jersey for big World Cup games, while La Rochelle's Antoine Halstoy will be backed to step up after a great season with the Champions Cup kingpins. [caption id="attachment_247109" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Owen Farrell looks on during the England captain's run at Twickenham Stadium, in 2021. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)[/caption]

Double blow for England

Meanwhile, a statement from England's RFU has confirmed their latest injury woes. It reads:

'Scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers) will require surgery on an ankle injury sustained during England’s win against Wales on Saturday at Twickenham Stadium and will not feature in the forthcoming Rugby World Cup in France. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints) is called into the England squad as his replacement.' “It’s really bad luck for Jack, and we send him our very best wishes for a swift and successful recovery,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.

England are also set to be without captain and outhalf Owen Farrell for Saturday's game against Ireland, and a few more after that. Farrell had a yellow card upgraded to red after a high shot tackle on Taine Basham, on Saturday. He will face an independent disciplinary panel and the entry point for his infraction is six weeks. Related Articles:

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