The number 8 of the XV of the Rose Billy Vunipola will not play against Argentina in the first match of the English at the Rugby World Cup. This follows the three-match ban he received after a red card against Ireland last weekend. A suspension potentially reduced to two games thanks to the Coaching Intervention Program protocol, which would allow him to play against Japan. As a reminder, England have already lost their captain Owen Farrell for the first two games of the World Cup in France. The fly-half was suspended for four matches on Tuesday after being shown a red card against Wales earlier this month. Vunipola is the only number eight specialist selected in England’s 33-man squad for the World Cup and manager Steve Borthwick will have to find an alternative for the weekend’s warm-up game against Fiji. Borthwick is expected to choose between Ben Earl and Tom Curry, who has recently struggled with injury, to wear the shirt number eight in Vunipola’s absence. Vunipola, 30, was sent off in Saturday’s 29-10 defeat at Dublin for an armless tackle which resulted in his shoulder contacting prop Andrew Porter’s head. Like Farrell, he initially received a yellow card which was later turned red by the recently introduced bunker review system. But unlike Farrell, Vunipola admitted he had committed an act of foul play worthy a red card, which results in a six-week suspension under World Rugby rules.
A statement from Six Nations Rugby says the Independent Judicial Committee has reduced Vunipola’s suspension to three weeks due to mitigating circumstances including his exemplary behaviour, immediate apology and remorse.
