- Eddie Jones also waiting for update on Maro Itoje’s injury
- World champions South Africa without Faf de Klerk
Eddie Jones’s best-laid plans have already been disrupted following the news that two of his likely starters will miss England’s entire autumn series. Luke Cowan-Dickie and Anthony Watson have both been ruled out of all their country’s November Tests, forcing Jones to recall Jamie George just 24 hours after the Saracens hooker was pointedly omitted.
The ankle injury that forced Cowan-Dickie off the field during Exeter’s win at Wasps on Saturday will prevent the Cornishman from featuring against Tonga, Australia and South Africa, with a scan suggesting his absence could be a lengthy one. The luckless Watson is also likely to miss the Six Nations after Bath confirmed he had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in the latter stages of his club’s 71-17 home defeat against Saracens. Harlequins’ Joe Marchant has been called up to replace him.
