Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell ready to give back to England after fearing Rugby World Cup dreams were over

Eddie Jones gambled on the England duo recovering to feature at the World Cup, but after making successful returns against Argentina, they reveal the dark days they went through to get to Japan

Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell made their Rugby World Cup 2019 bows on Saturday, returning from months of injury rehabilitation to justify Eddie Jones’s gamble on taking them to Japan.

But it could have been a very different story for the England pair.

Nowell suffered numerous setbacks in his attempts to recover from ankle surgery following a nasty injury in June’s Premiership final, the biggest of which saw him admitted to hospital for four nights to have his appendix removed during the pre-World Cup training camp in Treviso.

Similarly, Vunipola feared his World Cup dreams were over when he made his return from hamstring surgery in the warm-up game against Ireland, only to limp off 17 minutes later with a bad feeling in that same thigh.

“I had a fear that that could be it,” said Vunipola, having played 17 minutes once again on his return to the side in the win over Argentina. “I didn't really know exactly and didn't understand what had happened.

“I had the scan straight after the game on the Sunday and found out the results on the Sunday afternoon, and then didn't find out what the specialist said until the Tuesday so there was a bit of waiting around. It was touch and go and the first week was tough.

“When I had the scan and got the results back it wasn't ideal but luckily the specialist was able to clear it up and I am just happy to be here now and get that game under my belt.”

At least Vunipola has that taste of rugby in August to keep him going, having initially torn his hamstring in May. Nowell never had that, and as the four-month wait for rugby went on, there were certainly some dark times for the Exeter wing.

“I’ve been close to coming back, then I’ve hit a hurdle,” added Nowell. “But for me I’ve always wanted to be here, I’ve driven so hard to try to be involved in this World Cup. They were just hurdles, something I had to overcome to get myself involved again.

“There were no deadlines. If anything it was probably me pushing it at the start and me saying I want to be back for this game and be involved as soon as I can, to be out training. It was quite nice to actually not have a deadline, but I gave myself deadlines and if I didn’t hit them I got pretty upset with myself.

“To get so far and then have my appendix out just as I think I am back... USA was one I wanted to be fit for and I was fit for that, but Eddie said we will give you another week of training, get your confidence up and if I trained well enough then I could be involved in this game.”

Nowell showed his worth to the team with a try on his England return (Getty)

Such is the importance of Vunipola and Nowell to England’s World Cup aspirations, Jones was willing to use up two of his 31 squad places on players he knew would not be available for the first two matches of the campaign. It was always a gamble to take them in the first place given the severity of the injuries, particularly when players like Ben Moon and Mike Brown were ready and waiting for the call.

The problem for Vunipola and Nowell was that the damage was not just physical. “It was more a mental challenge than anything else,” added Vunipola. “As players you are very impatient and you want to get out there straightaway, and when you see the boys going so well in training and in games you want to be a part of that. It was about biding my time and just getting ready for whenever I got my chance.

“I was leaning on family and friends but luckily here I have some good mates in the team and people start taking notice if you start to pull yourself away, they pull you back in. I always knew there was a target to be involved in this game and luckily I was able to play.”

Nowell wants to give back to his England teammates after fearing his World Cup was over (PA)

But those fears are allayed, and the pair could now find themselves starting against France in England’s final pool game. For both of them, it is now about repaying that faith, which started on Saturday as Nowell got himself across the try line just six minutes after coming on.

“I was quite shocked I was still on my feet to be honest!” said Nowell. “It’s very nice to cap it with a try, but I’m just very thankful for the hard work the physios have put in, the people around me. I’ve always felt very involved in the squad still. It’s very easy to slip out and feel a bit isolated when you’re injured. But what we’ve been very good at this World Cup is how together we are. To finally repay a bit back to the boys is good.

“Being backed by Eddie [was important. I could quite easily have been sent home but they spent a bit of time on me and to be able to give back is very nice.”

Vunipola returned to England duty in the victory over Argentina (AP)

It was of course a coincidence that they were both injured at the same time, but the silver lining in that meant that while they were kept away from the rest of the squad to train on their own, they were able to drag each other through the difficult times.

"It was nice,” recalled Vunipola. “It's not nice to have people with you when you are injured [because you’re both injured] but it was good to have Jack there. We supported each other through the injury together, so it was good. But the support we had around us from team-mates, from family, that's the main thing."

While many teams have already lost players from their original World Cup squads, England are adding them as the business end approaches. It could well prove a risk that was not only worth taking, but provides the difference in the games that lie ahead.