Lawes blow for England
England suffered a new Six Nations setback with the news that lock Courtney Lawes could be sidelined for the remainder of the Six Nations due to a shin injury.
The Rugby Football Union said in a statement that the lock – who was released to Northampton for club duty this weekend – has been ordered to rest as he has “painful inflammation of his right tibia”.
“Courtney Lawes has suffered a painful inflammation of his right tibia and, following a scan and specialist opinion, has been advised to keep the weight off that leg,” the statement said.
“Lawes will remain at Northampton Saints for the time being and will be treated by the club in consultation with the England medical team before being reviewed in due course by the specialist, along with further imaging.”
England’s stand-in coach, Stuart Lancaster, described it as an “unfortunate” setback.
“Courtney had just really got back into training with us [England national team],” Lancaster said.
“But we have to listen to expert medical opinion and if that means he has to keep the weight off his right leg to help him recover then we have to respect that and work with Saints to manage his recovery.”
The 23-year-old came off the bench in England’s loss to Wales last weekend, with that cameo – during which he conceded the game-changing turnover to Scott Williams – now seemingly set to be his only contribution.
He missed earlier games against Scotland and Italy due to a knee problem.
Calum Clark, Paul Doran-Jones and Phil Dowson have also been released for Northampton’s meeting with Saracens this weekend, while Joe Marler, Jordan Turner-Hall and Mike Brown will boost Harlequins.
England No.8 Ben Morgan has been ruled out of the Scarlets’ Pro12 game against Connacht on Friday by a calf strain.
