Courtney Lawes will miss England’s six-game autumn schedule after being sidelined for 12 weeks by an ankle injury. The Northampton forward, who has won 85 caps, was hurt during Saints’ Premiership game against Sale last week.
In a statement, Northampton said: “Following consultation between the club’s medical staff and a specialist, Courtney Lawes will undergo surgery on the ankle injury he sustained against Sale Sharks last week. The 31-year-old England lock will require a rehabilitation period of approximately 12 weeks.”
It is a second major injury blow for the England head coach, Eddie Jones, with the Sale centre Manu Tuilagi facing six months out after he suffered an achilles injury in the same game eight days ago. Both players started the World Cup final against South Africa last autumn, and they remain integral parts of Jones’s plans.
England play the Barbarians on 25 October, followed by their delayed 2020 Six Nations match against Italy in Rome six days later. Jones’s players then face Autumn Nations Cup appointments with Georgia, Ireland and Wales, plus a Nations Cup play-off fixture in early December.
The former England captain Chris Robshaw will play one last time in England after the Barbarians confirmed he will be involved in the Quilter Cup game later this month. The flanker bid farewell to Harlequins on Sunday with a 32-26 win over Leicester, but is set to continue his career with the USA Major League club San Diego Legion.