Monday Afternoon Round Up
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Vunipola cautioned of his weight
Eddie Jones reportedly sent prop Mako Vunipola a letter saying he should shed some weight before the next season.
"A couple of weeks ago I got a letter saying I was in contention. Everyone got a letter, reminding us what to work on. Mine said not to eat too much – to lose some weight," said the New Zealand born front-row.
"I tried to look after what I ate and my diet during the summer. Eddie keeps you on your toes. I'm fighting for my place in this squad."
South Africa reclaim 3rd place ranking
South Africa are back at third spot on the World Rugby Rankings after their win against Australia, with the Wallabies dropping to fourth, on 84.71 points, just over two points clear of Wales in fifth.
New Zealand remain 6.81 points clear at the top of the rankings following their 36-17 win against Argentina in Buenos Aires with Los Pumas unchanged in seventh place.
New Zealand now travel to Durban, with Australia and Argentina concluding their Rugby Championship fixture with a game that will decide who finishes bottom of the 2016 table.
Connacht injury update ahead of Ulster clash
Denis Buckley sustained a knee injury in the round 5 fixture and will be further evaluated by the medical team this week.
Sale Sharks have announced that coaches Mike Forshaw & Paul Deacon have both signed new four year deals at the Club.
“Since Mike and Paul arrived at Sale, they have expanded our game significantly, and our stats often have us in the top four of the league both defensively and offensively. Under the new ownership and with selective recruitment, the team will go from strength to strength,” said Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond commenting on the signings.
Forshaw joined the club in the summer of 2013 from Connacht, and Paul Deacon joined the Club from Wigan Warriors RL in July 2015.
Houston answers Wallabies call
The Wallabies have re-called Leroy Houston to the squad to replace injured Sean McMahon for the final round of The Rugby Championship against Argentina at Twickenham.
McMahon has been ruled out for up to a month following an ankle injury sustained in the Wallabies 18-10 loss to the Springboks in Pretoria.
Leinster injury report
Fergus McFadden, who only returned to action at the weekend in the 16-13 win in Cardiff, has suffered another injury and will be assessed further this week.
Dave Kearney injured his ankle late in the first-half and wasn't risked for the second-half; he will be re-assessed this week and unlikely to be available for Saturday's match.
Robbie Henshaw, Rob Kearney and Sean O'Brien are all targeting imminent returns and their rehabilitation will step up a gear this week albeit O'Brien is the only one of the trio who may not make a return in time for the Champions Cup, which begins with a home match against Castres.
Lock Mike McCarthy has a foot problem but may be fit to play this weekend.
Jack Conan, Ed Byrne, Billy Dardis, Ian Fitzpatrick and Richardt Strauss remain unavailable.
Van Zyl replaces Paige in Springbok squad
Piet van Zyl has been named as replacement for Springbok scrumhalf Rudy Paige, who was ruled out of action following the concussion he suffered in the victory over the Wallabies on Saturday.
Meanwhile, wing Bryan Habana and centre Jesse Kriel will continue to receive medical treatment following thigh and groin injuries, respectively.
Damian de Allende (centre) and Malcolm Marx (hooker) have rejoined the camp in Durban after representing the Western Province and Golden Lions in the Currie Cup. Unfortunately Lwazi Mvovo, who was released last week to play for the Sharks, had to undergo an appendix operation last week and has been ruled out of action.
South Africa will announce their match-23 team on Thursday.
