England lock Itoje is "healing fast", says Steve Borthwick; prop Ellis Genge pulls out of training due to sore ankle
Thursday 14 February 2019 16:01, UK
Steve Borthwick says Maro Itoje is making "really good progress" in his recovery from a knee injury but refused to confirm if he will be fit for England's crucial Six Nations game with Wales on February 23.
Itoje and Dylan Hartley took part in light training on Thursday, with the latter also working his way back from a knee problem.
Hartley has already been ruled out of the Wales game but Itoje appears to have a chance of being involved.
"We talked about Maro being [available for] the latter part of the tournament and that's still the case," England forwards coach Borthwick told Sky Sports News.
"He's making really good progress, each day getting that bit better.
"Will he be available for Wales? We always go on a day-by-day basis. He's healing fast.
"It's great he's been around the squad, having his input and getting on with his training. Our strength and conditioning and medical teams are working exceptionally hard with him."
An injury cloud hovers over the position of loosehead prop after Ellis Genge was pulled out of training because of an ankle issue.
Mako Vunipola, England's first choice in the position, is sidelined for 10 weeks because of his own ankle problem to leave Genge and Ben Moon battling for the No 1 jersey.
However, what appears to be a minor setback to Genge has disrupted preparations for the Wales showdown.
"Ellis reported a sore ankle so he was withdrawn from training," said Borthwick.
"He reported the ankle so we said, 'right stop training, we won't push that'. We don't think there will be any major consequences.
"It's ongoing and it was the right decision to ensure he didn't finish training."
