TEST SERIES
Billy Vunipola back for tourists in first Test against SA
England lock Joe Launchbury lost his race to be fit for the first Test against SA on Saturday as coach Eddie Jones again named Mike Brown on the wing. Jones kept the positional switch he made for May’s 63-45 loss to the Barbarians at Twickenham when he swapped Elliot Daly from the leftwing to fullback and stuck Brown out onto the wing. Launchbury had trained apart from the rest of the squad at Umhlanga this week as he battled with a calf problem and will have his place taken in the second row by Nick Isiekwe, who gets his first start for England. Isiekwe is one of six players from Premiership winners Saracens in the starting line-up. Kyle Sinckler got the nod over Harry Williams at tight head in place of Dan Cole, who has been rested for the tour, while Tom Curry was chosen on the openside of the scrum for only his second cap. Billy Vunipola returns after more than a year without international rugby. There had been concern in the England camp over Vunipola’s latest injury — a persis...
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