"Can't give you a timescale" - A sixth player has been ruled out of England's Six Nations opener
Rugby NewsWednesday, 26 January 2022 at 11:50
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter has confirmed Jonny Hill will likely be unavailable for England's 2022 Six Nations campaign.
Baxter said: "Jonny Hill has - some people call it a stress fracture, some people call it a stress reaction - to his lower leg and high ankle. "He has been in a boot to offload that.
"At this stage it is just something that is being managed rather than looking to have an operation.
"It is just going to be about the length of time for that to settle down and get back to a normal loading [training] pattern.
"He is with England now and they will be taking on the assessment with him, for us it has meant the last couple of weeks have been a no go for him having assessed and treated him.
Baxter continued: "I can’t really give you a timescale, I was told at the time it could be six weeks, it could be slightly longer or shorter but that was the initial prognosis.
“It will be monitored day by day.”
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England injury list and suspensions – Farrell, Lawes, May, Tuilagi, Underhill
All the latest information on injuries and suspensions in the England Six Nations squad, with updates taken directly from Eddie Jones press conferences and interviews.
#1. Owen Farrell
Farrell was initially named skipper when the squad was announced, only for him to suffer an injury setback at Saracens training.
Jones said: "Owen has had his operation so he'll be out of the Six Nations. Massive blow for him personally, but it's a chance for people to step up."
His club Sarries revealed in a statement: "Owen Farrell will undergo surgery today on an ankle injury sustained in training last week.
"The recovery period has been estimated at eight to ten weeks until his return to action."
Owen Farrell of England limps off injured during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK
#2. Jonny May
May has withdrawn from the England men’s squad with a knee injury with Elliot Daly called-up as a replacement.
“We don’t know yet because he is seeing some people this week,” said Gloucester boss George Skivington when asked as to what the likely recovery timeframe is for May.
“It definitely will be a good couple of weeks but once we get all the information in front of us we will get to the bottom of it and as soon as we know the timescale, I don’t think it will be secret.
“He has had a niggle for a little while and it kept him out of one game a few weeks ago.
"It has been chipping away and it got to the point where it wasn’t great and it was, ‘Let’s just get this investigated’. I couldn’t actually tell you when it was (the injury happened), but it has been there a little while. "
#3. Courtney Lawes
The second-row is currently unavailable to train this week as he is undergoing head injury return to play protocols. If he fails to get sign off from a Doctor, he may be a serious doubt for the Six Nations opener against Scotland.
#4. Manu Tuilagi
As regards Tuilagi, Sale boss Alex Sanderson had recently suggested the midfielder was close to a comeback but that no longer appears to be the case. Jones revealed: “He has had a wee setback but we will just have to wait and see what he is up to. He needs to get some training, needs to play a few games. If we are 100 per cent optimistic we’d say yes (he will feature in the Six Nations). If we are realistic it’s probably about a 50/50.”
Manu Tuilagi of England during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK
#5. Sam Underhill
In his first game since suffering a concussion against Gloucester on Boxing Day, the backrower suffered another bad one against Leinster over the weekend after making a tackle.
Underhill, who had been tipped for a recall by Eddie Jones this week, could now be ruled out for weeks or months after coming off early once again.
Earlier this week, the England coach had said: “Sam is not quite ready,
“He has had a fairly truncated period since the autumn but we are hopeful he will get himself fit and match ready for later in the tournament.”
One fan even commented that “Underhill needs to quit. He’s going to seriously damage his health. I get worried every time he plays.’
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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