Injured Jonathan Joseph could miss England's clash with Australia as well as Wales match

Big blow: Joseph could miss matches against Wales and Australia
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Chris Jones23 September 2015

Jonathan Joseph’s chest injury is serious enough that he could miss England’s World Cup clash with Australia as well as the match against Wales on Saturday.

The Bath centre’s absence for England’s second Pool A match is set to be confirmed tomorrow, when head coach Stuart Lancaster names his team.

Sam Burgess is expected to replace Joseph and make his first England start at the World Cup, while it is understood Owen Farrell will come in for George Ford, who will be dropped to the bench.

Joseph suffered an injury to his upper body late on in England’s opening win against Fiji on Friday.

Lancaster will be taking a huge gamble by including Burgess, who has played just 20 games of rugby union since swapping codes in October. He will need the former Great Britain star to prove he can handle the demands of a full Test match against Jamie Roberts, the Wales and Lions centre.

Inside Pennyhill Park - England's Rugby World Cup base

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Coach Andy Farrell is happy that Burgess is ready to be in the XV and said: “The start of the game is pretty important as well, along with how you make the other team feel. I wouldn’t just pigeonhole him as an impact sub, just like New Zealand wouldn’t pigeonhole Sonny Bill Williams.”

If Burgess is found wanting during the match, Lancaster could put Ford at No10 and Farrell at inside-centre or opt for one of his limited back-line options which include rookie Henry Slade and wing Jack Nowell, who has been used as an outside-centre by Exeter.

It makes the decision to drop Luther Burrell from the squad before the tournament look even more ridiculous and it is now up to Burgess to prove he is more than just an impact player from the replacements’ bench.

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