Injured Bartolucci out of World Cup
Bartolucci, who was included in Marcelo Loffreda’s provisional World Cup squad of 38 in July, stood a good chance of being retained on the official list of 30 the Pumas coach is expected to name in the coming days.
The Atletico del Rosario player, who suffered the injury during his side’s 34-28 loss to CUBA in their Argentine championship match, will be out for about five months.
England boss Clive Woodward has removed eight players from his World Cup equation. Although Woodward does not intend announcing the final 30-man squad for Australia until next Monday, an initial 43-player training group has now been whittled down.
Backs Dan Scarbrough, Jamie Noon and Dave Walder have gone, together with hooker Andy Titterrell, prop Will Green, lock Steve Borthwick, flanker Andy Hazell and back-row forward Alex Sanderson.
Borthwick and Sanderson were both in the England starting line-up that lost to France 17-16 two days ago, while Noon, Walder, Scarbrough and Green all played varying roles against Wales seven days earlier.
All eight will be among candidates to go on England’s World Cup stand-by list, providing cover for injuries Down Under.
“As expected, I have had to make some very tough decisions,” said Woodward. “But I’ve made these earlier than I initially intended to, in order to give the players as much notice as possible so that they can return to their clubs and prepare for the Zurich Premiership season.
The majority of his squad is inked in, but back-up at centre and fly-half would appear areas still rife for debate. Lions Austin Healey and Dan Luger are by no means certainties to make the trip either, such is the immense strength in depth at Woodward’s disposal.
Wales coach Steve Hansen has sympathised with Llanelli forward Chris Wyatt after leaving him out of his World Cup squad.
Wyatt, capped 36 times, is among a handful of players overlooked, with utility back Gavin Henson, centre Jamie Robinson and prop Ben Evans also deemed surplus to requirements.
But there are call-ups for Shane Williams, whose versatility as a wing or scrum-half will be priceless in Australia, Llanelli wing Garan Evans and Celtic Warriors lock Brent Cockbain, 28-year-old brother of Australian international Matt.
Welsh-qualified Cockbain has only made one Test match appearance, but at 6ft 8in tall, was deemed better-suited as part of Wales’ second-row combination. “Chris Wyatt has been very, very unlucky to miss out on a second World Cup,” said Hansen.
“The combination we have selected we feel is better-suited for this tournament.”
Hansen has named 31 players, and will reduce his current four-strong contingent of hookers to three by the World Cup deadline date of September 10. The main worry is Llanelli hooker Robin McBryde, who has a toe injury, while Gareth Williams is nursing a back problem.
Wales are in the same qualifying group as New Zealand, Italy, Canada and Tonga Down Under, and are likely to meet England in the quarter-finals on November 9 if they get that far.
Ireland’s World Cup Pool A opponents, Namibia had an easy 82-13 victory over Uganda in the first of the semi-finals of the Confederation of African Rugby’s Top 9 competition. This puts them into the Final against either Madagascar or Morocco. The final will probably be played in November.
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