Joe Gray's bid to challenge Dylan Hartley as England’s hooker has received a boost after tests revealed the Harlequins player will only be out of the game for two weeks.
With the forthcoming Test series starting against Fiji at Twickenham on November 10, Gray feared he would miss the entire four-match schedule — completed by South Africa, Australia and New Zealand — after suffering an abdominal tear in the defeat by Exeter. However, he has been told that rest for two weeks will allow the injury to heal.
Gray, 24, was part of the England squad on the summer tour to South Africa. He was ever present in the England Under-20 Grand Slam winning side in 2007-8 and joined Quins from Northampton two years ago. Hartley, recovered from an eye socket fracture, will be pressing Chris Robshaw for the captaincy having led England to a 14-14 draw with South Africa in Port Elizabeth in the last match of the tour.
Meanwhile, the verdict on outside-half Nick Evans’s ankle injury has been delayed until later today to allow swelling to reduce.
