Premiership Rugby has launched a Sporting Commission in what chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor believes is “a landmark moment” for the organisation.

The seven-strong group will be chaired by Nigel Melville and includes former England captain Tom Wood.

Massie-Taylor and Premiership Rugby’s rugby director Phil Winstanley, meanwhile, will be joined by Women in Football director Jane Purdon, Ministry of Justice board member Mark Rawlinson and financial services executive Carys Williams.

As part of its remit, the commission will now rule over matters such as season structure, Premiership Rugby regulations and player-loading.

It will also have full delegated authority from the Premiership Rugby board to decide on matters relating to sporting and regulatory issues, as well as impose sanctions in accordance with Premiership Rugby regulations.

The move comes after the most damaging season in Premiership history saw three clubs – Wasps, Worcester and London Irish – enter administration.

A 13-club league less than a year ago now stands at 10 teams, with the commission, which has decision-making powers, set to transform Premiership Rugby’s operations.

PRL said the commission’s objectives included that decision-making on sporting and regulatory matters “operates in the best interests of the league as a whole and independent from the clubs.”

Massie-Taylor said: “Launching the Sporting Commission is a landmark moment for Premiership Rugby as we transform our ways of working.

“Improving our governance structures with independent thinking and scrutiny is key to strong foundations and our future success.

“Having already met as a group, it is clear that the energy and expertise of our independent experts will help Premiership Rugby deliver change.”

And Melville, who is also chairman of Premiership Rugby’s investor board, added: “Putting together this innovative new group has been possible thanks to the efforts and support of our Premiership Rugby clubs.

“Our goal has always been to strengthen our governance and make internal decision-making more agile, whilst also bringing about greater independence to any contentious issues.”

The commission will meet eight times a year or more, and provide a quarterly update to the investor board.

Eldar Eldarov will be bidding for a second successive Royal Ascot success in next week’s Gold Cup following his narrow verdict in the Queen’s Vase 12 months ago.

Roger Varian’s four-year-old also claimed the St Leger in a fruitful season and returned to action in the Yorkshire Cup when narrowly failing to reel in Giavellotto, to whom he was conceding 5lb.

He will be running over a trip further than two miles for the first time in his career at Ascot, but that is the only question mark regarding a horse who has won on quick and slow ground and could potentially even improve for racing over further.

“He ran well at York and has done everything right since,” said Chris Wall, former trainer and now racing manager to owners KHK Racing.

“Obviously he is going into the unknown over that distance but he’s nothing but a competitor, he’s a tough horse, he likes the challenge and if he gets the trip I think he’s going to be a player.

“Roger is very happy with how everything is so it’s fingers crossed, really.

“Four-year-olds have a great record in the Gold Cup and while the trip is the unknown, he certainly gives the impression that he will stay those distances well.

“His work at home has been very satisfactory, he looks well, so we’ll just keep everything crossed that he puts up a good performance.

“We’re not too worried about the ground. I suppose like everybody we’d like a little bit of juice, so a few showers wouldn’t go amiss but he’s proved he’s effective on any ground, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The owners also hold leading claims in the Commonwealth Cup with Sakheer, the Mill Reef winner who finished seventh on soft ground in the 2000 Guineas.

“He must have a good chance. It was hard to tell whether he stayed a mile on that awful ground in the Guineas, but he acquitted himself well,” said Wall.

“He’s done nothing wrong in his preparation either, so we’ll go there and hope for the best and hope he goes and runs a good race.

“He’s going to have to prove himself exceptional if he’s going to beat Little Big Bear I think, but we’ll see how we go.”

Golf’s controversial new partnership is in for an “uncomfortable ride” and may face lengthy and costly legal challenges in multiple jurisdictions, a competition lawyer has said.

The PGA Tour announced last week it was creating a new commercial entity with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), a move it said would “unify golf” and which brought an end to a legal dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, a series backed by PIF.

Concerns have already been raised about whether the new deal may fall foul of competition law. The United States Senate has already opened an investigation into it, with Senator Richard Blumenthal writing to PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan to say that the PGA Tour’s “sudden and drastic reversal of position concerning LIV Golf” raised “serious questions”.

The PGA Tour insists this agreement is not a merger, and that the deal did not mean PIF now owned the PGA Tour. Instead, it says PIF will be investing in this new subsidiary of the PGA Tour, with the PGA Tour retaining majority ownership and control.

However, Andrew Evans, a partner at the law firm Irwin Mitchell, believes there are a number of hurdles for the new venture to overcome.

“Even though the structure for the PGA Tour/LIV merger is not known at present, competition law, or antitrust law as it is also known, tends to look at the economic impact of a merger regardless of the legal form it takes,” he told the PA news agency.

“So structuring the merger in a particular way, referring to it is a partnership etc will not hugely affect the analysis from a competition law perspective.”

In the United Kingdom mergers are the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), while, in the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) are the bodies responsible.

However, Evans believes the global nature of golf at a commercial level means many more jurisdictions may take a look.

“For a worldwide business such as PGA Tour and LIV Golf there is lots of potential for regulators in many different jurisdictions to get involved and investigate the merger and, in a worst-case scenario, block the merger,” he said.

“Whilst there is little granular detail about how the merger will work and be implemented, hopefully the parties have already sought and obtained merger control advice.

“Even if they have, they may be in for an uncomfortable ride in some jurisdictions around the world before the merger, if cleared, is allowed to proceed.

“Merger investigations can also be very time-consuming and costly, with the full processes taking many months and potentially more than a year to conclude in some jurisdictions.”

Evans said regulators will be concerned about the “downstream” and “upstream” impacts on competition that the deal might create.

“Downstream” impacts might include the impact on broadcasters seeking to buy television rights.

“Prior to the merger both PGA Tour and LIV Golf would be in competition with each other to sell their respective television rights, and therefore each imposes a constraint on the other in relation to the price that they can charge as there is an alternative that anyone seeking to buy television rights has,” Evans said.

“Once they are merged and under common control that constraint is removed or reduced, particularly in a case where there is no other comparable worldwide golf tour, so there is no alternative choice.

“That would allow the merged business to have greater market power and greater ability to dictate the price at which television rights would be sold.”

“Upstream” rights could include the impact on players’ earning potential, Evans said.

“Though professional golfers may not be a group most people would immediately think of as being worthy of protection, the impact the merger would have on them and the reduced choice as to which tour to join and on what terms, if both are controlled by the same operator, is another consideration,” he added.

Wesley Ward has saddled 12 Royal Ascot winners since the beginning of his American invasion. But it is No Nay Never whose legacy is still felt 10 years after the colt rocketed to Norfolk Stakes success.

The American first announced himself at the Royal meeting in 2009 when Strike A Tiger’s Windsor Castle triumph was quickly followed by Jealous Again romping to Queen Mary victory in the opening race of the following day.

Although then a regular bringing his string across the Atlantic to challenge, he had to wait four years for his next success when No Nay Never blitzed his way to Norfolk glory, attracting the attention of a very famous Ascot regular in the process.

“That was a great day,” said Ward.

“We were second in the Queen Mary the day before, it was a 28-runner field and we came second. My buddy Gatewood Bell, all his buddies and himself owned the filly. We had a big night out that night, a great dinner and a little bit too much wine, so when I came in the next day I was nice and relaxed and the first race of the day was the Norfolk.

“Shortly after that I was invited up to sit with the Queen for about half an hour and it was a great experience.”

Ward’s meeting with the late Queen gave the 55-year-old as much pleasure as No Nay Never’s victory itself and he was left amazed by her boundless knowledge of the sport he plied his trade.

He continued: “What was great about it was she did most of the chatting!

“When you first get up there you are nervous and she just starts firing questions at you and it puts you so at ease. She was just picking my brain and asking all these questions about how I train, how I came here and asking about all the success I had.

“It was unbelievable how much knowledge she had, not just of racing but myself – I couldn’t believe the Queen of England even knew who a trainer like myself from a different country like America was and what I had accomplished.

“You would think she would just be coming to the races and focussed on English racing and everything else she had going on in her life. She was just a wonderful person.”

No Nay Never would go on to give Ward his first European Group One when winning the Prix Morny at Deauville, a race in which he would wear the famous Magnier silks closely associated with the Coolmore operation.

“That was a great day as well,” added Ward. “John Magnier and the whole Coolmore team were there as well and we got the picture in the winner’s enclosure.

“The sales were going on so Mr Magnier was there with all his team and it was a great day along with my great friend Paul Shanahan and he is why I’ve been involved with them, so I can’t thank him enough for getting me in there and I’ve been fortunate enough to have some success for them.”

Following his on-track career, No Nay Never would prove just as proficient in the breeding sheds and the son of Scat Daddy’s progeny continue to keep his name in the spotlight at the season’s showpiece fixture.

Alcohol Free is perhaps his biggest winner at Royal Ascot so far, with Andrew Balding’s star filly landing the Coronation Stakes on a wet afternoon in 2021, while he is beginning to become a force to be reckoned with for Coolmore, especially in the juvenile ranks.

Meditate and Little Big Bear both carried No Nay Never’s genes to two-year-old triumphs at Royal Ascot 12 months ago and both are likely to return 10 years on from one of their father’s finest hours, with Little Big Bear a red-hot favourite for the Commonwealth Cup.

“He’s gone on to be a great sire as well as a very good racehorse,” said Ward.

“He was always one of those horses you always thought would go on to be a sire when you have them in your barn.

“He had a great personality and he was very fast, but his mind was something that you know when you were around a horse like him – you could see how smart and intelligent he is.

“You would think with his ability and all of that combined, those are the ones that go on to be good sires.”

Northampton have announced the signing of England World Cup hopeful Tom Pearson.

Back-row forward Pearson was left without a club when London Irish went into administration last week after being suspended from all competitions by the Rugby Football Union.

The 23-year-old helped Irish to a fifth-place finish in the Gallagher Premiership, delivering numerous eye-catching performances.

He was named in England’s first World Cup training squad of the summer by head coach Steve Borthwick, while Pearson ended last term with Premiership and Rugby Players’ Association young player of the season honours.

“I will always be incredibly grateful to London Irish and treasure my time there,” he said.

“They gave me a shot two years ago coming out of university when I was an unknown and probably a bit of a risk.

“It’s tragic to not know the true potential of that team we had, but I want to thank all the players, staff, and the fans for everything they gave me over the last two years and for helping me create lifelong memories.

“From my very first conversation with (Northampton rugby director) Phil Dowson, he has been extremely honest and clear on the direction he wants Saints to go as a club.

“He really made me feel like I would fit in well in Northampton with the playing group and the style of rugby the team plays.

“He has also got clear ideas on where my game can improve, and I want to push on and develop as much as I can as a player.”

Two of Pearson’s England squad colleagues and former Irish team-mates – Henry Arundell and Will Joseph – have yet to confirm their club futures.

Arundell is thought to be a target for Bath and French club Racing 92, while Joseph has been strongly linked with Harlequins.

On recruiting Pearson, Dowson said: “Tom is an incredible athlete and is just going to get better the longer he is in the professional environment.

“He is very versatile, able to play across the back-row, and thanks to his physicality, movement and off-loading game he can make significant impacts all over the park.”

Ex-England rugby player Shaunagh Brown has called out sport governing bodies she feels treat female athletes like “small men” to the detriment of their health and performance.

The 33-year-old retired from the Red Roses in December after earning 30 caps for her country, and also represented England in the hammer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

While the former prop has witnessed some positive change, she remains adamant that not enough consideration is directed to the unique needs of women, from the impact of menstrual cycles to a higher risk of certain injuries – including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) issues that ended the World Cup dreams of England footballers Beth Mead and Leah Williamson.

“(It needs to) be based in the research why we’re rehabbing this way, why we’re asked to do this activity, why we’re using this training programme, because what you’ll find is a lot of it has come from men,” Brown told a Parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee session.

“Whether that’s concussion protocols, for me it just doesn’t sound right that male and female concussion protocols are exactly the same.

“It’s just because so often we are treated as small men as opposed to completely different needs as women. Where it’s all come from, there is no base at the moment. It’s changing slowly, more people are looking into it.

“I’d say there’s more looking after people of a different age and potentially different weight categories than there is of a gender category. I’m heavy for a woman, I’m 16 stone, and I’d be expected to basically just train like a 16-stone man.

“But if I was a lot lighter, I’d probably have a different training programme. If I was weaker or stronger, I’d have a different training programme.”

Next month, England will begin their quest for a maiden football World Cup without several of the most recognisable names from their Euro 2022 triumph.

Two of the injured – captain Williamson and forward Mead – are ruled out with ACL injuries, an issue that disproportionately affects women, who according to the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) have three-to-six times higher risk than males.

Williamson and Mead are among a worrying number of female footballers, including their Arsenal team-mates Vivianne Miedema and Laura Wienroither, to have suffered the same injury this season.

A BOA report released on Tuesday read: “One anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in your squad is unfortunate. A second is really bad luck. By the time you’re at your fourth, including both the current Lioness captain and the reigning BBC Sports Personality of the Year, there’s clearly an intrinsic problem that needs to be addressed.

“What is happening this season at the elite level is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The report, co-authored by surgeons Morgan Bailey and Nathanael Ahearn, revealed that of groups of young athletes the biggest rise in ACL injuries was observed by their organisation in teenage girls, who have taken up football in significant numbers following the Lionesses’ victory.

The doctors cautioned against writing off the discrepancy as simply due to biological differences, including hormonal influences and limb alignment, instead agreeing with Brown that “the gendered environment has a greater part to play.”

Contributing factors include a lack of equipment designed for women and a difference in quality when it comes to both pitches and coaching – with preventative training critical in reducing ACL injuries.

Like Brown, the BOA report authors warned efforts to make things simply the same for men and women are misguided.

They concluded: “As more women and young girls take up football, the seemingly most straightforward method for development is to mirror that of the boys and men before them, but it is equity, rather than equivalence, that we should be striving for.

“This means rather than simply encouraging more women to take up these sports in line with men, we should be creating the appropriate environment to do so, that accounts for both sex and gender based differences.”

Brandon Nimmo atoned for an earlier baserunning mistake with a game-ending RBI double in the 10th inning to lift the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over the visiting New York Yankees on Wednesday.

After the Yankees failed to score in the top of the 10th, Albert Abreu struck out Mark Vientos to keep automatic runner Eduardo Escobar at second, but Nimmo greeted Nick Ramirez with a drive off the wall in right-centre to score the winning run. 

The Yankees broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning, highlighted by Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s steal of home – the first steal of home by a Yankee since Didi Gregorius on Aug. 27, 2016.

The Mets, however, scored two in the bottom half of the inning to tie things back up at 3-3, though ran themselves out of the inning when Nimmo was caught halfway between second and third base on Starling Marte’s game-tying single and thrown out for the third out, ending a potential bases-loaded threat.

The series finale featured a compelling pitching matchup between Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander and both stars permitted just one run but were done after six innings.

Cole struck out eight and allowed four hits, while Verlander scattered three hits and had six punchouts. Neither walked a batter.

The city rivals split the two-game Subway Series after the Yankees’ 7-6 win on Tuesday. The victory was just the second in 11 games for the Mets, who had dropped four in a row at home.

Berrios stymies Orioles

Jose Berrios took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-1 win at Baltimore, ending the Orioles’ five-game winning streak.

Berríos retired the first 13 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Adley Rutschman opened the seventh with a soft single to centre.

Berríos ended up pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings – his longest outing since going eight innings at Detroit on June 10, 2022 – allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five. The right-hander improved to 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last five starts and 10-0 in his career against the Orioles.

Baltimore, which had won the season’s first four matchups with Toronto, came in having scored 11 runs in each of its last two games but didn’t get on the scoreboard until Aaron Hicks’ run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Rays end Athletics’ 7-game winning streak

Manuel Margot and Yandy Diaz had back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth inning and Tampa Bay’s bullpen worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rays snapped the Oakland Athletics’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory.

Tampa Bay took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth against Luis Medina. Taylor Walls singled, stole second, moved to third on an error and scored on Margot’s double. Diaz followed with another double to make it 3-3 and Josh Lowe singled home Diaz one out later.

Major league-leading Tampa Bay remained the only team in the majors without a three-game losing streak.

Tommy Fleetwood believes players need to take a leaf from Brooks Koepka’s book to win major championships.

Koepka claimed his fifth major in May’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill and, after overcoming career-threatening injuries, looked back to being the player who won his previous four in an eight-tournament stretch.

The 33-year-old American believes his target of 10 majors is eminently achievable and insists he relishes the “chaos” of major championships and seeing other players complaining about the difficult of the conditions.

Fleetwood, who finished second behind Koepka in the 2018 US Open after a record-equalling 63 in the final round, told the PA news agency: “Brooks is an unbelievable example.

“People should be studying what he does and how he speaks because he’s the best major champion of our generation so far.

“Obviously he’s one of the best golfers in the world and his stats when he’s playing the majors are phenomenal.

“However, you can’t always control how you’re going to play but you can definitely control the way you think and if you’re going out on that course with the right mindset then you’re giving yourself the best chance.

“I think listening to somebody like that, I think people should draw on that and I think emulating that attitude is something you can really make work for you.”

The golf course itself will be new to the majority of the field, with the venue hosting its first major championship and the first US Open in Los Angeles since 1948. The North Course did stage the 2017 Walker Cup and a prestigious college event in 2013, but Rory McIlroy was among the vast majority of players who saw the course for the first time on Monday.

1540 – Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
1613 – Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa
1624 – Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
2132 – Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick
2154 – Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama

A cloudy start with a low risk of fog/mist and the marine layer hanging around into the early to mid-afternoon hours before the sun fully breaks through to bring a high around 70 degrees. Light winds between five to 10mph.

The Houston Astros announced Wednesday that right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm and remove a bone spur.

To make matters worse for the defending World Series champion Astros, general manager Dana Brown said slugger Yordan Alvarez will be sidelined for at least four more weeks due to a right oblique strain.

McCullers missed a large portion of last season with a forearm strain and went 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA in eight starts after making his 2022 debut in August.

He originally sustained an injury to the tendon in his right forearm in Game 4 of the 2021 American League Division Series against the White Sox, and then aggravated it this February.

“After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound,” Brown said. “This guy is a warrior and did everything in his power to get back.

“But each time he built himself up to an increased pitch total off the mound, the pain would come back. It’s unfortunate, but we look forward to him being back on the mound next season.”

Alvarez, meanwhile, will likely be out until after the All-Star break after straining his right oblique during an at-bat against the Toronto Blue Jays last Thursday.

The 2019 AL Rookie of the year was leading the major leagues with 55 RBIs while batting .277 with 17 home runs in 57 games before getting hurt.

Alvarez was the MVP of the 2021 American League Championship Series and finished third in AL MVP voting last season, when he hit .306 with 37 homers and 97 RBIs in 135 games.

“With these oblique injuries, they're very tricky," Brown said Wednesday on his weekly visit with SportsTalk 790 AM in Houston. "I think it's going to take at least two weeks to get a feel for how it's feeling, how does he feel?

“So you take those two weeks, and then another week to figure out when he starts to have some activity, how's his body responding? So that's three weeks right there.

“So you're looking at, once he starts to swing a bat, maybe it's four weeks or so.”

Australian Nick Kyrgios has revealed he was admitted to a psychiatric ward after contemplating suicide following a Wimbledon defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2019.

The often-controversial world number 25 said the second-round, four-set defeat to the Spaniard was the lowest point of his career.

“I was genuinely contemplating if I wanted to commit suicide,” Kyrgios, who wore a white sleeve on his right arm to hide tell-tale self-harm scars, told Netflix documentary Break Point.

“I lost at Wimbledon. I woke up and my dad was sitting on the bed, full-blown crying. That was the big wake-up call for me.

“I was like ‘OK, I can’t keep doing this’. I ended up in a psych ward in London to figure out my problems.

“I was drinking, abusing drugs, lost my relationship with my family, pushed all my close friends away.

“You could tell I was hurting. My whole arm was covered in scars. That’s why I actually got my arm sleeve. To cover it all.

“That pressure, having that all-eyes-on-you expectation, I couldn’t deal with it. I hated the kind of person I was.”

Heather Watson booked her place in the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open with a straight-sets win over her friend and former doubles partner Tatjana Maria on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old Watson clinched a single crucial break in each set to wrap up a 6-4 6-4 win over the German, with whom she reached the last eight at Wimbledon in 2018.

Prior to play on Wednesday a minute’s silence was held on Centre Court in memory of the three people who were killed in attacks in the city early on Tuesday.

It was a notable win for Watson against a player currently ranked 129 places higher in the world rankings, as she aims to emulate last year’s grass-court success that included a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Watson, who next plays world number 99 Viktorija Golubic, told the BBC: “I came through qualifying and each match I’ve got a bit better but there’s more to come.

“Tatjana is my best friend on tour, we have played doubles together and spent a lot of time together. It’s never easy to play a friend but at the same time it’s really special sharing a court with her.”

Liam Broady suffered a disappointing 7-6 (4) 6-4 defeat to Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro, while world number 409 Arthur Fery fell 6-4 6-2 to fifth seed Dominik Koepfer.

Fresh from his win at the Surbiton Trophy last week, Andy Murray starts his campaign against Hugo Grenier on Thursday as he targets the ranking points that could see him earn a seeding at Wimbledon.

British heavyweight Frazer Clarke says he has nothing to prove when faces veteran Mariusz Wach on Friday night but believes he is stronger for coming through his recent “saga” with Fabio Wardley.

Clarke saw his hopes of a domestic title fight with rival Wardley thwarted ahead of purse bids last month.

His own team of 258 Management and promotion company BOXXER made the decision to withdraw Clarke before purse bids with the 33-year-old’s lack of rounds cited as a key reason.

It means instead of taking on Wardley this summer, the focus for Clarke is a 10-rounder with Wach at York Hall but he is ready to shut out the external talk to deliver the seventh win of his professional career.

Clarke told the PA news agency: “It has made me battle-hardened. I have come good out of it. I have come good out of all these situations.

“All these situations I have been in with boxing, I have always come back and done well. That will be the same for this one.

“I ain’t got nothing to prove to no one. I just need to win and I’m sure I’ll do that.”

Clarke (6-0, 5KOs) is hopeful a bout with Wardley will take place later in 2023 despite the social-media storm that occurred last month.

After Clarke’s team pulled him out, having initially lobbied the British Boxing Board of Control (BBCofC) to become mandatory for Wardley’s British title, the Tokyo 2020 bronze-medallist felt the brunt of the criticism that followed.

“I would hope so,” Clarke replied when quizzed if a fight with Wardley can still go ahead this year.

“That whole saga, it was frustrating and a difficult 10 days for me. I can’t lie. It was difficult.

“Mentally, it was really difficult but I have come through the other side of it. I have come through with a fight lined up, something to get my teeth into and concentrate on so very fortunate to be able to do that.

“It wasn’t nice, wasn’t pretty. A bit of a f*** up from our side, me and my team, so we have held our hands up and now get back on the bus.”

Polish heavyweight Wach (37-9, 20KOs) is the latest hurdle for Clarke to clear on his path to reach the top.

Wach went the distance with Wladimir Klitschko in 2012 and only lost on points to Dillian Whyte four years ago to show the type of pedigree that Clarke will do battle with this week.

He added: “He has seen bigger and better fighters than me.

“This is someone who isn’t going to fall over. I don’t think he has come here just to get paid.

“Obviously he has (got paid) but I don’t think he has come to fall over. These kind of opponents, they are not a walkover. I don’t want anyone to think I will walk through him.

“He is a good fighter, a solid man and has a good engine and chin on him, so he can pose threats but looking forward to it.”

Billy Vunipola has forced his way into England’s planning for the World Cup as Steve Borthwick revealed the Saracens number eight is eager to seize his opportunity.

Vunipola was overlooked entirely for Borthwick’s maiden Six Nations as head coach but on Monday he was selected in the first training squad of the summer as preparations begin for France 2023.

And while the powerful back row is still recovering from the surgery needed to repair knee damage sustained against La Rochelle in April, he is expected to be available in time for the four warm-up Tests in August.

Alex Dombrandt filled the number eight jersey for the Six Nations but Vunipola brings with him 68 caps as well as a unique ball-carrying threat.

“Billy tells me he’s just about ready to go now. He said ‘hold me back right now!’ He’s doing really well,” Borthwick said.

“I’ve been impressed by not only how hard he’s working when he’s training and rehabbing, but everything he’s doing away from that as well.

“He’s certainly part of our plans as we go forward and I’m looking forward to the point when Billy is back on the grass.”

Vunipola was a shock omission from Borthwick’s first squad in the wake of replacing Eddie Jones amid speculation that the two were not on talking terms because of a fall out during the 2019 World Cup.

“Billy and I met in January and we spoke over the phone in January. In the Six Nations we spoke a couple of times. Since the Six Nations I’ve met with him a couple of times,” Borthwick said.

“He’s been an important player for England for a number of seasons and he has the potential to be an important player for England going forward.”

A surprise absentee from the 28-players who assembled at the squad’s Surrey training base on Monday was Sam Simmonds, the rampaging Montpellier-bound back row who was expected to provide competition for Dombrandt, Vunipola and Zach Mercer.

But during discussions with Borthwick, Simmonds made it clear he would not be available for the World Cup for reasons that have not been made public.

“Sam talked to me about the discussions he had with this family and what he was doing and I respect that,” Borthwick said.

“He spoke about personal circumstances, a personal situation, and then how he thought and come to this decision.

“Every player is within their rights to make the best decisions for their circumstances.”

While Simmonds leaves these shores for the Top 14, Mercer travels in the opposite direction after a successful two-year spell at Montpellier ends with his move to Gloucester.

The 25-year-old excelled in the French league and could add to his two caps this summer.

“Zach’s point of difference quite clearly is the way he finds space and carries through big defenders,” Borthwick said.

“We’re all the sum of our experiences and Zach’s gone and played in France and he’s developed and learned from that.

“He’s more experienced, has played with different players and took on leadership responsibilities at Montpellier as well. I sense a guy who has grown.”

Borthwick revealed that he has spoken regularly to Henry Arundell, Tom Pearson and Will Joseph as the London Irish trio search for new clubs in the wake of the Exiles’ financial collapse.

“It’s certainly been a challenging time for them and they’ve been very up front and honest. There’s a high level of anxiety about the situation,” Borthwick said.

“When I saw them on Sunday, I listened to players that were thrilled to be in camp and looking forward to what is ahead of them.”