England wing Joe Cokanasiga sidelined by knee injury

Bath will seek specialist help to aid Joe Cokanasiga’s recovery after the England international returned from the Rugby World Cup with a knee injury.

The Premiership club released a statement on Friday that said Cokanasiga will be “unable to begin a competitive campaign for the club”, with no scheduled time announced for the wing’s return to action.

“In order to provide Joe the best possible management plan and rehabilitation process, Bath’s medical department are enlisting the services of world-leading specialists to ensure expert opinion is considered to deliver an optimal pathway to recovery,” the statement read.

“The club’s priority is to maximise his chances to perform at the very highest level.”

The 22-year-old has won nine caps for England and played once at the World Cup, scoring two tries in the 45-7 win over the United States.

As well as Cokanasiga, Bath will also send Zach Mercer to see a specialist to discover the extent of the knee issue he suffered during the European Champions Cup game against Ulster.

Henry Thomas, meanwhile, will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“Joe is a phenomenal talent and a powerful athlete, and we must manage him very carefully in the coming months to allow for the issues he has come back from Japan with to begin to be resolved,” Stuart Hooper, the club’s director of rugby, said.

“We have no doubt that Henry, Zach and Joe can come back stronger and our performance department will support them in every possible way to ensure they have the best rehabilitation and return to performance.”

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