GEORGE KRUIS gave England another huge injury scare ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations opener against France.
The lynchpin of last year’s Grand Slam heroics will have a medical assessment today on a knee injury.
Saracens lock Kruis, 26, who has only just recovered from a fractured cheekbone, went down at around 3.30pm in training yesterday.
RFU bigwigs initially said that he missed the later part of the session as Red Rose boss Eddie Jones managed his work-load.
But two hours later they finally coughed up the full explanation.
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Winger Jonny May was also in the wars yesterday and needed stitches in a cut eye after a clash of heads with Henry Slade.
Medics patched him up and the Gloucester speedster did not need an assessment to check for concussion.
England have a history of brutal training days after last year’s Brighton bloodbath ruled Sam Jones, Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell out of the autumn Tests.
Bath’s Watson has also been KO’d for up to a month after a hamstring injury in last week’s training camp in Portugal.
Nowell missed yesterday’s session due to a personal matter so Elliot Daly was running on the left wing.
Nowell should link up with the squad tonight.
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But it is the pack which is troubling Jones most before he names his side to face France tomorrow.
Billy Vunipola, Chris Robshaw and Mako Vunipola are already out. And any plans the Aussie has to shift Maro Itoje to the back row seem to now hinge on Kruis’ fitness.
Joe Marler and James Haskell will also give Jones a selection headache.
Prop Marler is only just back from a broken leg while flanker Haskell has managed just 55 minutes and 35 seconds of game-time for Wasps having spent seven months out with a toe injury.
Last night Jones trimmed his squad by sending nine players back to their clubs ahead of Saturday’s Twickenham showdown.
Those who failed to make the cut were backs Watson, Alex Lozowski, Henry Slade and Marland Yarde plus forwards Nathan Catt, Jack Clifford, Charlie Ewels, Tommy Taylor and Mike Williams, Jones kept three loose-head props and Leicester’s Ellis Genge seems to have won the battle with Bath’s Catt to be the third man.
England's 25-man squad
FORWARDS: Cole, Genge (both Leicester) George (Saracens), Harrison, Hartley (both Northampton), Haskell, Hughes (both Wasps), Itoje, Kruis (both Saracens), Launchbury (Wasps), Lawes (Northampton), Marler (Harlequins), Mullan (Wasps), Sinckler (Harlequins), Wood (Northampton). BACKS: Brown, Care (both Harlequins), Daly (Wasps), Farrell (Saracens), Ford, Joseph (both Bath), May (Gloucester), Nowell (Exeter), Te’o (Worcester) Youngs (Leicester).
England go into Saturday’s clash on a 14-match winning streak.
And All Blacks legend Richie McCaw admits Jones’ men could go on to beat New Zealand’s world record 18 wins in a row.
That would mean another Grand Slam and victory over Ireland in Dublin in the final match on March 18.
The Irish ended New Zealand’s record run in the autumn. But McCaw said: “There is no reason why England can’t go through unbeatView Articleen again and win it.
“But they will have to play pretty damn well.
“I don’t think there are any gimmes. The French were pretty good in November and obviously the Irish as well.”
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