England's chances of claiming their ninth consecutive victory in the Quilter Nations Series hang in the balance as injury doubts surround wing Tom Roebuck and full-back Freddie Steward.
The duo both pulled out of training sessions this week, with Roebuck suffering an ankle injury after a key role in England's 25-7 win over Australia last weekend. His absence would be felt, having played a pivotal part in two of the three tries scored by the team.
Meanwhile, Steward, who started at full-back against Australia, has not trained due to hand injuries sustained during that match. If either player is unable to play on Saturday, England are likely to look to Marcus Smith as an alternative.
Smith played 15 for England in their last outing and would be more than happy to fill the void once again. He was known for his versatility at fly-half before being shifted across to full-back. The role is not alien to him, given his experience there over the past two years.
Sinfield, assistant coach to head coach Steve Borthwick, acknowledged that finding a balance in the squad would be necessary to keep all three fly-halves – Smith, George Ford and Henry Pollock – happy.
"I don't know how you can keep them all happy," Sinfield said. "But that's how it should be at this level – there is always someone who is a bit disgruntled or frustrated, because they all want the shirt now."
The duo both pulled out of training sessions this week, with Roebuck suffering an ankle injury after a key role in England's 25-7 win over Australia last weekend. His absence would be felt, having played a pivotal part in two of the three tries scored by the team.
Meanwhile, Steward, who started at full-back against Australia, has not trained due to hand injuries sustained during that match. If either player is unable to play on Saturday, England are likely to look to Marcus Smith as an alternative.
Smith played 15 for England in their last outing and would be more than happy to fill the void once again. He was known for his versatility at fly-half before being shifted across to full-back. The role is not alien to him, given his experience there over the past two years.
Sinfield, assistant coach to head coach Steve Borthwick, acknowledged that finding a balance in the squad would be necessary to keep all three fly-halves – Smith, George Ford and Henry Pollock – happy.
"I don't know how you can keep them all happy," Sinfield said. "But that's how it should be at this level – there is always someone who is a bit disgruntled or frustrated, because they all want the shirt now."