"Bone came out" - Courtney Lawes doubtful for England's summer tour

There remains no timeline for the England star's return as he waits for more clarification on the thumb injury he suffered against Gloucester.

"Courtney had a compound dislocation of his thumb," revealed Boyd.

"It was quite nasty because the bone actually came out.

"But it's been popped back in, it's been irrigated and sewn back up again.

"He's still got some medical decisions to be made around the skeletal function of the thumb and the muscle and ligament situation.

"He certainly needs specialist consultation to make a decision on what is the best course of action for him going forward.

"The hand specialist will come back and say 'x, y or z' and whatever he says will happen."

Below, we look at three players who will almost definitely not travel whether due to injury or personal choice.

The 28-year-old Watson is recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in October, but the prolific Lion has been considering his next career move during the rehab process.

He has been linked to former club London Irish, Wasps and Sale, but the Tigers are regarded as favourites to sign him. Sale announced yesterday that they are bringing in another wing, Exeter’s Tom O’Flaherty, at the end of this season.

Reports suggest he won't be fit for down under and will instead look to have a full pre-season with a view to returning to the England fold in the Autumn.

Marler has reportedly withdrawn himself from England's plans for the three-Test tour of Australia.

The decision to skip the tour looks unlikely to affect his England prospects after he missed the same tour by choice back in 2016.

Replacement: Raffi Quirke

It's unlikely that the scrum-half will travel to Australia due to personal reasons after he pulled out of the 2021 Lions tour. As a result, it would be great to get a better look at exciting playmaker Raffi Quirke following his impressive cameo appearances during the Autumn Nations Series.