In a potential blow to England's Six Nations campaign, Ben Earl may miss the tournament's start due to a knee injury sustained during Saracens' dominant victory over Harlequins.
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The 25-year-old, who excelled as England's standout player in the recent World Cup, faces a possible three-month absence with a right knee ligament issue.
Earl, who secured the No8 position during the World Cup, left the field at The Stoop on Saturday wearing a knee brace and using crutches as a precautionary measure.
Saracens are reportedly concerned that the back-row forward could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks following further examinations.
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Telegraph Top 30 male players in the UK:
30 Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Ireland)
29 Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)
28 Kyle Sinckler (Bristol/England)
27 Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
26 Henry Slade (Exeter/England)
Try Celebrations for Henry Slade of England as he goes over for a try during the Autumn Nations International Series match between England and South Africa at Twickenham, London on 26 November 2022 (Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
25 Tommy Reffell (Leicester/Wales)
24 Theo McFarland (Saracens/Samoa)
23 Jasper Wiese (Leicester/South Africa)
22 Henry Arundell (London Irish/England)
21 Hamish Watson (Edinburgh/Scotland)
Final whistle celebrations for Scott Steele of Scotland and Hamish Watson of Scotland during the Six Nations Championship, 127th Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on January 6 2021. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
20 Marcus Smith (Harlequins/England)
They wrote: "A trickier year for Smith after he barely put a foot wrong in 2021 winning the league title with Harlequins. Perhaps a change in the England coaching staff will get him back to his best."
Marcus Smith of England warms up before the Autumn International Series match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, London on 19 November 2022 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
19 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter/England)
18 Nick Tompkins (Saracens/Wales)
17 Will Rowlands (Dragons/Wales)
16 Owen Farrell (Saracens/England)
They wrote : "Still a players' favourite and had a better autumn than Smith (not that everyone will listen to that opinion). Been around long enough to have played alongside Steve Borthwick when Saracens won the league in 2011."
Owen Farrell of England takes a penalty kick during the Autumn International Series match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, London on 19 November 2022 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
15 Chris Harris (Gloucester/Scotland)
14 Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins/South Africa)
13 Juan Martín González (London Irish/Argentina)
12 Maro Itoje (Saracens/England)
Maro Itoje of Saracens during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final Match between Leicester Tigers and Saracens at Twickenham Stadium on 18 June 2022. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
11 Tom Curry (Sale/England)
10 Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester/Wales)
Louis Rees-Zammit of Gloucester Rugby during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Gloucester Rugby and Saracens at Kingsholm Stadium on June 4 2022 in Gloucester, England. (Photo by Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
9 Ben Earl (Saracens/England)
8 George Ford (Sale/England)
7 Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh/Scotland)
6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton/England)
Courtney Lawes, Captain of England celebrates after winning during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
5 Emiliano Boffelli (Edinburgh/Argentina)
4 Darcy Graham (Edinburgh/Scotland)
3 Julian Montoya (Leicester/Argentina)
2 Ellis Genge (Bristol/England)
Ellis Genge of England (digitally altered) during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
1 Freddie Steward (Leicester/England)
They wrote: "What a find he has proven to be. Scooped up all of the awards going and while he remains rock solid under the high ball – one of the best in the business – is beginning to enhance the other areas of his game as well."
Freddie Steward of England is tackled by Ardie Savea of New Zealand during the Autumn International Series match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, London on 19 November 2022 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
Quiz! Can you name the 20 most-capped men’s England players?
Several of these individuals have participated, or are presently participating, in the contemporary era of rugby.
Can you identify how many of the top 20 most-capped England rugby players you can name?
We've supplied the total number of caps and their respective playing positions for each player. Your task is simply to complete their surnames.
You have a 5-minute window to attempt to guess all 20 players.
