Skip to content

Lancaster hopeful on trio

Image: Stuart Lancaster: Believes trio will be available for South Africa tour

Stuart Lancaster believes Manu Tuilagi, Phil Dowson and Toby Flood will all be available for their upcoming tour of South Africa.

England coach believes players will go on tour

England head coach Stuart Lancaster is confident and hopeful Manu Tuilagi, Phil Dowson and Toby Flood will all be available for their upcoming tour of South Africa. Tuilagi could be censured for an illegal tackle on Danny Care after lifting him off the ground in the second minute of Sunday's Premiership final between Leicester and Harlequins. Rugby's disciplinary authorities are hot on incidents such as this and the citing officer has four working days from receipt of the match video. Tigers fly half Toby Flood pulled out of the game with a groin problem but Lancaster is not expecting injury to rule him out of their trip to the southern hemisphere. England's Phil Down suffered a blow to the head in Sunday's 57-26 success over the Barbarians and Lancaster believes he is 'looking okay'.

Confident

"We have not heard anything. Looking at the incident I am pretty confident he (Tuilagi) will be fine but we will wait and see," Lancaster said. "Phil Dowson had a bang to the head but he is up and walking around in the changing room. We have some time before the first Test but at the moment he is looking okay. "Toby hurt his groin kicking prior to the game and Leicester chose not to risk him. He will turn up in camp (on Monday) and we fully expect to take him on the tour."

Around Sky