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Your support makes all the difference.Ollie Lawrence’s crushing injury blow during England’s Six Nations win over Italy was not just “devastating” for the man himself but threw his team-mates off their game as well, according to fly half Fin Smith.
Just eight minutes into the contest at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, powerful centre Lawrence – who has probably been England’s biggest attacking threat in this year’s Six Nations – suffered a non-contact injury as tried to push off the turf and went down clutching his leg in serious pain.
He looked distraught, fighting back tears as he was carted off the field and England coach Steve Borthwick revealed in his post-match press conference that the 25-year-old has suffered an Achilles injury.
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“We’ll know more in the next 48 hours after he has scans but fingers crossed it’s not as severe as it might be or we fear it will be,” said a sombre Borthwick.
“He’ll get the very, very best care, he’ll see the very, very best people, to be looked after but it looks like it could be a real tough injury.”
The fear is the injury could be a season-ender, which would not only be a huge blow to his club side Bath, as they go for a first English Premiership title in almost 30 years, but would end his hopes of making this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour – where he was a live contender for one of the centre spots in Andy Farrell’s squad.
According to Smith, the emotional impact of Lawrence’s departure affected him and the whole England team badly, although they adapted well with Elliot Daly moving from full back to outside centre – forming a partnership with Fraser Dingwall – and helping Borthwick’s side ultimately secure a 47-24 triumph.
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“It is difficult,” explained Smith. “Obviously you play in a game and you want to win and all this stuff, but I think there’s a sort of deeper level to it and when you see one of your best mates potentially losing the chance to go on a Lions tour and what was bound to be a massive year for him, it breaks your heart.
“I think I was probably a bit too gutted on the pitch seeing that happen and it maybe rattled me for a few minutes. I probably made a few mistakes off the back of it. We’re all absolutely devastated for him.
“I’ve got everything crossed that the scans say it’s not too bad but it is not looking brilliant. He is absolutely devastated. He has been a massive part of Bath and pushing them forward and a massive part of this England team. I don’t think he has played below a 7 or 8 out of 10 ever really, for either his club or his country.
“So yeah I am devastated for him and I know he’s devastated as well. We have just got to get around him. I think as teammates, we’ve got to be good friends to him now and look out for him because it is going to be a tough time for him.”
Daly impressed when he moved to No 13 – a position that he shone in when he first burst on to the scene at Wasps more than a decade ago before plying his trade more regularly on the wing or at full back.
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And Borthwick reserved praise for the impromptu partnership formed by the 32-year-old and Dingwall, while also revealing that winger Tommy Freeman was another option to fill in at outside centre.
"We obviously have a couple of options about how we make a change,” explained Borthwick. “It was Elliot [Daly]’s ability to cover centre, Tommy [Freeman]’s ability to go into the centre, so there were adaptions and at different times in the game we did it in different ways.
“Fraser [Dingwall] and Elliot are two of the most intelligent rugby players I’ve worked with. They see space in the front line and in behind. I described Fraser in the week as a glue player – he does the unseen work and makes others play well with his presence. I thought he played well today.”
