ENGLAND have revealed that their camp environment influenced the decision to stand Mako Vunipola down from Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales.

Vunipola returned from Tonga over the weekend having flown back via Hong Kong — a location of a significant coronavirus outbreak — and on Monday was named in a training squad for the Twickenham showdown.

Although asymptomatic for Covid-19 and not self-isolating, Vunipola was then withdrawn before the players gathered at England’s Surrey training camp.