Courtney Lawes had already been ruled out of England's clash with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday after picking up chest injury in a full-blooded training session on Wednesday; injury will keep the second row out of the rest of the tournament
Friday 26 February 2021 18:11, UK
England's Six Nations title bid has been dealt a blow after Courtney Lawes was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a chest injury.
Lawes suffered damage to his pectoral muscle in training on Wednesday and misses Saturday's Cardiff showdown with Wales and the final two matches against France and Ireland.
"Unfortunately, Courtney picked up a knock and that means he won't be available for us for the rest of the Six Nations," attack coach Simon Amor said.
Lawes was due to continue at blindside flanker for the title clash at the Principality Stadium but his mishap on the training field means Mark Wilson starts in the six jersey.
Eddie Jones has labelled England's Six Nations clash with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday as 'make or break' for his squad, recognising there is pressure heading into the Test.
England head to Cardiff knowing that another defeat would effectively end their title defence, while Wales are still capable of winning the Grand Slam after picking up wins against Ireland and Scotland.
"For most teams, the third game is a make-or-break game and I think both teams face similar pressure," Jones said.
"Wales v England means a lot to both countries. They're always tough, tough games and that's the allure of the Six Nations. They're tight contests that go down to the last moment. We won one there in 2017, basically on the bell.
"And we had to win on the bell at Twickenham last year, so we're expecting a similar sort of game.
"These sorts of game you've got to win not once, but maybe two or three times. Wales will keep coming and keep coming. It will be a great contest."
