LONDON: Leicester flanker Tom Croft was added to England’s training squad yesterday ahead of this weekend’s Six Nations fixture against Italy, while Owen Farrell is set to miss the Twickenham clash.
Croft has recovered from a serious neck injury which initially looked set to keep him out for the entire Six Nations campaign and, after playing in last weekend’s win over Sale, England coach Stuart Lancaster has opted to call up the 27-year-old.
Last April Croft damaged his neck while tackling Harlequins back row Nick Easter and his comeback, which began in January, has been carefully managed since.
The turning point in his rehabilitation came last week when a visit to the specialist revealed the injury had healed completely.
“Tom has been seen by a specialist, played back-to-back games and played 80 minutes at the weekend and did extremely well,” said Lancaster, whose side are chasing a first Grand Slam since 2003.afp
