Mako Vunipola will miss the rest of Saracens’ season after being ruled out with a torn hamstring, but is expected to recover in time for the Rugby World Cup in Japan this September.
Vunipola played just half an hour of the Champions Cup final win against Leinster on Saturday, before succumbing to injury and leaving the field along with fellow prop Titi Lamositele, who will also be absent for the team’s Premiership title run-in.
No date for Vunipola’s return has yet been confirmed, but the loosehead will not recover in time for Saracens’ match against Worcester Warriors on May 18, or the playoffs. Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall is confident that the British and Irish Lions player will be healthy again in time to represent England at the Rugby World Cup, however.
“We’re waiting to see exactly what happens, but I very much doubt he’ll play again this season,” McCall said.
“Mako won’t be out of the World Cup, but he’ll be out for a while,” McCall continued. “It’s quite a significant injury.
“It’s disappointing to lose two players of that quality and it makes us a little bit vulnerable, to be honest.”
Vunipola missed much of the Six Nations earlier this year with an ankle injury, before sustaining another injury to the same joint, delaying his comeback.
The victory over Leinster in Newcastle marked just his second appearance since England’s thrashing of France in February.