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Stuart Hooper has admitted his frustration at the fact Bath Rugby were not told the full extent of Joe Cokanasiga’s knee injury during his time away with England at the Rugby World Cup.

Journalists covering the tournament out in Japan report he looked out of sorts in training for much of the tournament, where he featured only once, scoring twice against the USA, and was seen wearing a protective brace at times even outside of training as England reached the final before losing to South Africa

Asked if he was frustrated about the situation after his side's 15-9 defeat to Harlequins the the Champions Cup, Bath director of rugby Hooper said: “Yeah definitely. We want the guys back and able to play for us. If people get injured, that happens, but we need to make sure we are aware of everything that is happening and that when we do get them back we have a decent plan moving forward.

“Our focus now is solely on Joe because we want him back playing because it is what he loves to do and what he is good at.

“We are doing everything we can that as a young man he is back fit and healthy before we can get him playing.”

Bath are consulting experts around the world to determine the best course of action in regards to a diagnosis and treatment.

Hooper admitted that despite keeping in regular contact with his six World Cup players during the tournament and the preparation before hand which has effectively keep the players away from Bath for five months, he and the medical team were surprised to discover the severity of the injury to the 22-year-old who was nominated for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award this season.

(Image: Getty Images)

Hooper said: “We were talking to the guys out there but we get limited information from them and we obviously weren’t out in Japan, we were back in Bath dealing with our squad and the information they give us.

“We have been kept on top of where Joe is at but what we saw when he got back was a bit different.

“Ultimately Joe has come back to us unable to train, unable to be part of our programme. From that point now is when we started working out exactly what is wrong with him, what the history of the injury is and then how we move forward.

“We will work with the very best people in the world to make sure he gets the best possible care which allows him to get out there and play again which is what he loves doing.”

Hooper also explained why the club put out a slightly vague statement on Friday which has stirred plenty of speculation about the seriousness of the injury amongst fans.

He said: “Where we are right now, we have got to make sure we get the right facts, that is why we worded the statement as we did.

“This is not something which is going to keep him out for a couple of weeks. It is something we need to get the facts on."

(Image: PA)

Hooper said while the facts are still being established he is unable provide a timeline for any treatment.

He added: “Because of Joe’s age, he is obviously a young man, he wants to be playing for the next 10 years and more, and the type of big powerful athlete he is, he needs to go out there and have all that power and physicality he brings to his game.

“That is why the statement read as it did.”

Hooper called on the RFU to be more open with clubs about the physical condition of players, especially when they are injured. England head coach Eddie Jones is infamous for his tough training regime.

Hooper said: “We will start communication now with the RFU because it is important it is a relationship, it is a partnership. We have got Bath Rugby players and they play for England, we are communicating with those guys and again it is about getting the best outcome for Joe and then to get him back on the field for Bath.

“There is an open dialogue with the RFU and we will continue that.”