The Wallabies have been dealt an injury blow on the eve of the Rugby World Cup, with veteran prop James Slipper set to be ruled out of the opening match against Georgia.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones revealed the bad news at a press conference in Saint-Etienne, where Australia will kick off their campaign on September 10 (AEST).
“James Slipper’s still not training,” Jones said.
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“At this stage, it’s definitely touch and go for Georgia. He’s got a tendon problem with his foot. We believe we’ve got that under control and he’ll be back on the paddock after Georgia.”
Angus Bell has started the last three Tests ahead of Slipper at loosehead and is an outstanding talent.
But former captain Slipper’s vast experience and scrummaging ability would have given Jones comfort off the bench against the powerful Georgians.
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Blake Schoupp, who made his Test debut in Monday’s 41-17 loss to France, is now likely to retain his place among the reserves.
Slipper is not Australia’s only injury concern.
“Samu Kerevi’s still not training, Jordan Uelese should be training tomorrow and Pone’s (Fa’amausili) still recovering,” Jones said.
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“He’s maybe a week or so away. We’ve got a few out but every team in the world has got that at the moment. It’s just a matter of good rehab, good recovery and get them back on the field as quickly as we can.”
Jones had previously said star centre Kerevi “should be right” for the opener as he recovers from a hand injury.
Australia beat Georgia 27-8 at the 2019 World Cup but are ranked 11th in the world – only two spots below the Wallabies – and will be no pushovers.
“Georgia play a very similar game to France,” Jones said.
“Ten of their players play in the leagues in France, mostly in Top 14, some Pro D. They have a very significant French influence, so they kick a lot, they contest hard at the breakdown and then they developed some fantastic counterattacking skills.
“The perception of Georgia was that they’re a hard scrummaging, a hard mauling, gritty team. There’s still elements of that, but they’ve changed their game considerably.”
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