"Injury crisis for Steve Borthwick" - Three England back-rowers ruled out

The Saracens No 8 sustained the injury while carrying the ball during his club’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final match against La Rochelle in France last month.

After being carried off the field on crutches, Vunipola underwent a scan which confirmed the severity of the injury. Saracens have announced that the 30-year-old will be sidelined for the rest of the 2022-23 season, leaving his World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. 

The younger Vunipola brother’s absence will be a significant blow to both Saracens and England as they will have to navigate the remainder of their campaigns without his formidable presence on the field. 

The loss of Vunipola’s powerful ball-carrying and dynamic play will be keenly felt, and his road to recovery will be closely watched by rugby fans and pundits alike as he works towards regaining his fitness and form.

Cherry and Whites' head coach, George Skivington, has been advocating for Ackermann's inclusion in the England team for months.

However, Skivington confirmed to Gloucestershire Live that the 27-year-old South African-born player, who has expressed his commitment to England but remains uncapped, will be unable to pursue his dream of playing in the World Cup due to an injury sustained during the Heineken Champions Cup in April.

Skivington said: “He hurt his knee away in La Rochelle so he has missed the last four or five weeks, whatever it has been.

“He will be back for next season but it is a decent injury, he has had some surgery, so he is another one on the rehab table but he will be alright, hopefully, come the start of next season.”

Notably, Ackermann led the Gallagher Premiership in ball carries, accumulating 243 carries throughout the season, surpassing his countryman Jasper Wiese of Leicester Tigers by 25 carries, who was recently named the Rugby Players' Association player of the season.

ale Sharks have announced that Ben Curry, the England flanker, will need to undergo surgery on a hamstring tendon, putting his participation in this year’s Rugby World Cup in doubt. 

Curry sustained the injury during Sale’s 21-13 victory over Leicester Tigers in the Premiership semi-final on Sunday. Consequently, he will be absent from the final against Saracens at Twickenham this Saturday.

Sale confirmed the news in a statement about Curry and Dan du Preez, who injured his shoulder, stating: "Both players will require surgery ahead of the new season and will be seeing specialists this week.

"Ben and Dan have put in huge shifts this season to get us to Twickers and we can't thank them enough."

Sharks boss Alex Sanderson’s deep connection with both teams adds an extra layer of excitement to the highly anticipated final.