England squad update: Courtney Lawes ruled out

England and Northampton Saints lock WILL NOT join up with Eddie Jones squad in Jersey next week after suffering a setback.

The powerhouse forward, who has been undergoing his return to play protocols following a concussion last month, has been replaced in the squad by London Irish’s Tom Pearson for the five day camp.

Lawes suffered his latest head knock against Leicester Tigers on 24th September, but remains some way off a return to full training.

https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1583420336774717440

rthampton boss Phil Dowson confirmed the 33-year-old remains stood down from rugby due to a concussion issue, which previously forced him to miss the first two rounds of this year’s Six Nations.

“We’re making sure he’s 100 per cent when he comes back,” Dowson said of Lawes.

“That can be quite convoluted and there are different stages. He’s not doing contact yet.”

England’s 36-player squad will meet on Monday for a five-day training camp in Jersey. They will then return to the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park, ahead of their first game against Argentina on Sunday 6 November.

After their Argentina opener, England host Japan on Saturday 12 November (KO 3.15pm) before taking on New Zealand (Saturday 19 November – KO 5.30pm) and lastly world champions South Africa (Saturday 26 November – KO 5.30pm).

“This is a very strong, vibrant squad and a number of good players have been left out. We are pleased with the depth and the strength of the squad,” said Jones.

“The autumn internationals will be like a mini Rugby World Cup for us, starting with two tough games against Argentina and Japan which mirrors our Pool fixtures at next year’s tournament. Then we’ll have knock out type games against New Zealand and South Africa – all four games will be great tests for us

“In Jersey we’ll start the week with Misogi activity where the players will find out about themselves and each other. Then we’ll rip into training for the rest of the week, so the team can come together on and off the pitch.

“We’re very pleased to be going back to Jersey and to a good Championship club in Jersey Reds who are very supportive of us and of the local rugby community. We’ve been made to feel very welcome there and look forward to our return.”