England suffers another injury blow – Rugby News Update
Ben Youngs, the 22-year-old Leicester Tigers and England scrum-half has been ruled out of the Test series following a shoulder injury in the second-test against South Africa, at Johannesburg, on Saturday, June 16.
England is currently on tour in the southern hemisphere country, where they are to play a three-match Test series against the Springboks. They have lost the first two tests, and play their final test next week, but Youngs will not be accompanying the squad
anymore.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster said, "He didn't present his injury until the end of the game. When we got back, he was struggling to move it. From our point of view, he was excellent for us in the second Test. He really played well and he is devastated."
This is a massive blow for England, as Youngs is an important player for the team, and having lost Mike Brown in the last test, this comes as a further setback to gain a consolation win next week.
Northampton's Lee Dickson replaced Youngs at Ellis Park, and it is likely that he will be promoted to the first XV for next week, and Danny Care will be on the bench. The misery of one player is an opportunity for another to impress.
Lancaster is aware of this, and is urging other players to step up to the plate and perform for the team when it matters. Lancaster added, "But opportunities present themselves for other players - Lee Dickson and Danny Care - and we have got Lee's brother
Karl winging in from Alicante.”
He further added, “It won't be any disruption. Both Danny and Lee know the game plans."
After losing the second-test 36 – 27, Youngs would have been keen to be part of the third-test but the 24 times international who made his debut against Scotland at Murrayfield, March 13, 2010 misses out and flies back home. He has started 18 games for his
country, and has come on as a substitute a further 6 times.
He has been prolific for club and country, and will surely be missed for the third Test.
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