England's hopes for a repeat victory at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship took a serious hit when Bath's budding star, George Timmins, was slapped with a five-match suspension. The young flanker was penalized for a dodgy elbow strike during the face-off against Scotland, which has effectively benched him for the remainder of the tournament and beyond.
The incident, which occurred in their tournament debut last Sunday, left Scottish prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty in need of stitches and George Timmins out of the game before it barely even began. The elbow strike has cost Timmins more than just participation in the current championship; he'll also miss the start of Bath's pre-season, including a warm-up clash against Glasgow Warriors on September 6.
Despite being a man down for most of the second half, the England U20 squad triumphed over Scotland with a hefty 56-19 score. However, the victory is now overshadowed by Timmins' suspension and the upcoming match against the Junior Springboks, who are coming off a massive 73-17 win against Australia.
"We're obviously disappointed to lose George for such a crucial time. We'll be looking at our strategies and focusing on the strength of the squad we have available,"
stated an England U20 spokesperson.
Scotland coach Kenny Murray expressed hope regarding Blyth-Lafferty's recovery, aiming for his return in Scotland’s next outing against Australia in Viadana this Friday. "Ollie's a tough lad, and we’re hopeful he’ll be patched up and ready to go against Australia," said Murray.
In other disciplinary news from the tournament, New Zealand’s Randall Baker also finds himself sidelined for three matches after a citation for a dangerous clear out in New Zealand’s game against Italy in Calvisano.
As Friday's clash approaches, England must not only recalibrate their lineup but also steel themselves against a Junior Springbok team that appears to be in formidable form. The match promises high tension and high stakes, kicking off at 6pm this coming Friday.
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England's hopes for a repeat victory at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship took a serious hit when Bath's budding star, George Timmins, was slapped with a five-match suspension. The young flanker was penalized for a dodgy elbow strike during the face-off against Scotland, which has effectively benched him for the remainder of the tournament and beyond.
The incident, which occurred in their tournament debut last Sunday, left Scottish prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty in need of stitches and George Timmins out of the game before it barely even began. The elbow strike has cost Timmins more than just participation in the current championship; he'll also miss the start of Bath's pre-season, including a warm-up clash against Glasgow Warriors on September 6.
Despite being a man down for most of the second half, the England U20 squad triumphed over Scotland with a hefty 56-19 score. However, the victory is now overshadowed by Timmins' suspension and the upcoming match against the Junior Springboks, who are coming off a massive 73-17 win against Australia.
"We're obviously disappointed to lose George for such a crucial time. We'll be looking at our strategies and focusing on the strength of the squad we have available,"
stated an England U20 spokesperson.Scotland coach Kenny Murray expressed hope regarding Blyth-Lafferty's recovery, aiming for his return in Scotland’s next outing against Australia in Viadana this Friday. "Ollie's a tough lad, and we’re hopeful he’ll be patched up and ready to go against Australia," said Murray.
In other disciplinary news from the tournament, New Zealand’s Randall Baker also finds himself sidelined for three matches after a citation for a dangerous clear out in New Zealand’s game against Italy in Calvisano.
As Friday's clash approaches, England must not only recalibrate their lineup but also steel themselves against a Junior Springbok team that appears to be in formidable form. The match promises high tension and high stakes, kicking off at 6pm this coming Friday.