Rugby World Cup 2015: Billy Vunipola replaced by Nick Easter
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
| England v Australia |
|---|
| Venue: Twickenham. Date: Saturday, 3 October. Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live, plus live text commentary on BBC Sport website |
England forward Billy Vunipola has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup with a knee ligament strain.
Harlequins number eight Nick Easter, 37, who has 52 Test caps, has been called up as a replacement.
Saracens' Vunipola, 22, suffered the injury in Saturday's 28-25 defeat by Wales at Twickenham and is expected to be out for six weeks.
Lock Courtney Lawes is a doubt for Saturday's Australia game with a knee injury and will not train on Tuesday.
"It's so unfortunate for Billy - he's worked really hard," said England head coach Stuart Lancaster.
"He's committed everything to the last three months but he is a young man with a bright future ahead of him and I know he'll be an integral part of this team for years to come.
"Nick was unlucky to miss out on final selection. He is a specialist number eight and an experienced player. We know he will make a big contribution."
Easter said he was driving to training with Harlequins when he was told he was being called back into the England squad.
"The management said I was on standby and that anything can happen," he added.
"It's very unfortunate for Billy. He played very well against Wales and was a star of the Six Nations."
England have played two games in the World Cup - a 35-11 win over Fiji and Saturday's loss to Wales.
They are third in Pool A and face Australia at Twickenham on Saturday and Uruguay a week later, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals.
"The players are looking forward to the biggest week of their lives. It's knockout rugby from here on in," added Easter.
Centre Jonathan Joseph, who missed the Wales defeat with a chest injury, is "making very good strides and ticking all the boxes", according to backs coach Andy Farrell.
Scrum-half Ben Youngs is "making progress" on a swollen ankle, but will also not train on Tuesday, although number eight Ben Morgan is "fully back" into training.
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