The England head coach, Eddie Jones, has received a welcome boost with the news that Maro Itoje will be fit to play for Saracens on Sunday. Itoje scored one of his side’s 10 tries in the 71-17 mauling of Bath last weekend before being forced off, but has been cleared to face Wasps in the Premiership. “He’s fine,” the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, said. “It’s a very minor shoulder injury but he will play this weekend.” Jones has already lost Luke Cowan-Dickie and Anthony Watson for the entire Autumn Nations Series because of injury, with Jamie George replacing Cowan-Dickie in the squad having previously being omitted along with Saracens teammates Mako and Billy Vunipola. McCall, who said after the win against Bath that he would be “amazed” if his trio of players were overlooked by Jones for the fixtures against Tonga, Australia and South Africa, believes the Vunipola brothers are determined to force their way back into the national side. “They are playing really well and they’ve still got the bit between their teeth,” McCall said. “There’s still a hope for them that they can make their way back into the England squad and they want to try to do that, try to get back into the Six Nations. They’ve got to continue their good form. “They are unbelievably competitive rugby players and I think they’ve proven that for a long time, not only at the highest club level but at international level as well. I think that anybody who saw their performance at the weekend – and in Billy’s case the weekends before that – would know that Billy’s somewhere near the best he’s played. “I think that’s really encouraging that Billy’s had a full pre-season for the first time in a long time and is in the best shape he has been for a long time. He’s enjoying his rugby, playing really well and I think Sunday was one of his best games for a long time. “Mako had a hugely influential game, so for the two of them I can say all you want me to say, but actions speak louder than words and I think they demonstrated on Sunday first of all how good they are and also how much it means to play at the highest level and push themselves hard.” Meanwhile Stuart Hooper says the Bath owner, Bruce Craig, is “hugely supportive” as the West Country club address a dismal start to their season. Bath visit the Premiership champions Harlequins on Saturday, less than a week after slumping to a club-record home league defeat when crushed by Saracens. Four successive Premiership reversals equate to Bath’s poorest season opening since 2001, and they are bottom of the table, 20 points behind the leaders Leicester. “I think as I have said before, Bruce is hugely supportive,” said Hooper, the Bath rugby director. “We’ve spoken about the game, because part of my role is to have that communication with Bruce and allow him to see some of the ways we are going to get better from the weekend. “Everyone at the club has been hugely supportive and continue to be so, and support is not just an arm around the shoulder at all, it’s about challenge and support, and those guys Bruce and Tarquin (McDonald, Bath chief executive) have both been outstanding in that regard. “I know that we have to turn this around, and I have absolute belief that we will, but it’s not driven by a pressure from above, as you put it, it’s driven by a desire and a want and a pressure from within the group to do that.”