Jonny May is set to miss England's second Test against Australia

Jonny May is set to miss England’s second Test against Australia after Covid took its toll on his fitness… and wing’s participation in whole series Down Under is in doubt with Gloucester star yet to resume training

• Jonny May was unavailable due to Covid for the defeat against Australia in Perth
• It is understood the virus has had a significant impact on his physical readiness 
• The wing is yet to resume full training with the rest of the Red Rose squad 
• England coach Eddie Jones must decide whether to persist with Joe Cokanasiga 

Jonny May is set to miss out on an England comeback in the second Test this Saturday and his participation in the whole series is in doubt after his recent Covid setback.

The veteran Gloucester wing was unavailable for last weekend’s defeat against Australia, having only come out of isolation the day before the match in Perth. 

It is understood that the virus has had a significant impact on his physical readiness to play and he is yet to resume full training with the rest of the Red Rose squad.

Jonny May is set to miss out on an England comeback in the second Test this Saturday

The veteran Gloucester wing was unavailable for last weekend’s defeat due to Covid-19

Defence coach Anthony Seibold provided an update on May, saying: ‘It was a long seven days for Jonny. He’s been back on his feet today running, but he didn’t join in with the team. It will be a graded return to full training.’

While May was confined to a hotel room last week, England tried to keep him involved as much as possible. Seibold added: 

‘He’s in the positional group that I work with – the outside backs. One of the things we tried to do was include him while he was in isolation, so sending the team meetings, the backs unit meetings – so he could give his feedback to the players from afar.

‘We’ve used him as a really experienced Test player. We have a really young group in the backs so he’s been bit of a resource for those guys.’

Defence coach Anthony Seibold (R) says May is back running but has not returned to full training

However, Eddie Jones would have ideally hoped to have May available for selection this week and that hope has been dashed. England lacked pace in attack for much of the series opener and if May was fully fit, he would be in contention for a recall to the starting XV. 

Instead, Jones must decide whether to persist with Joe Cokanasiga – who was a peripheral figure in the first Test, or gamble by throwing in rookie sensation Henry Arundell, or the uncapped Tommy Freeman.

Meanwhile, Seibold revealed that Tom Curry will fly home tomorrow, after being ruled out of the rest of this tour after a third concussion in six months. ‘Tom will go back to England tomorrow,’ he said. 

‘We’re disappointed to lose him because he’s a big part of our team, so he’ll be a loss. But it’s an opportunity for somebody else to come in and take his position for the rest of the tour, so there’s some good competition there for spots.

Eddie Jones would have ideally hoped to have May available for selection this week

Instead, the England coach must decide whether to persist with Joe Cokanasiga in Brisbane

‘We’ll be sad to see Tom go, but it’s about looking after his welfare. There’s a longer-term piece at play with Tom’s health. He’s had some concussions over the recent period of time so the medical staff would rather err on the side of caution.

‘We don’t have any concerns over his medium to longer-term health, but rather than keeping him out here with the squad, he can recover in England and spend time with his friends and his family. He’s in good form – I was talking to him this morning. He’s disappointed he’s not staying and can’t play because he’s a competitor but there’s a longer-term view at play.’

There are no shortage of candidates to fill the void in the back row. Jones has three other pedigree opensides at his disposal in the form of Lewis Ludlam – an impressive replacement in Perth, Jack Willis and Sam Underhill.

Meanwhile, Seibold revealed that Tom Curry will fly home tomorrow following concussion

‘Lewis Ludlam came on and competed really strongly when TC came off with the HIA,’ said Seibold. 

‘He’s been a great leader for Northampton this year and when he comes into camp you can certainly tell why he is the captain of his club. He’s got some great leadership quality and he competes really hard.

‘Jack Willis from Wasps is really good over the ball. He competes really strongly defensively. Sam Underhill was one of the outstanding players at the 2019 World Cup. He missed out on selection for the first Test but he’s competed really strongly to put him in the frame for the second Test. So we’ve got some options there.’

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