Monday 25 September 2017 20:53, UK
Ben Youngs believes England possess the strength in depth to cope without the injured Billy Vunipola.
Vunipola will miss the autumn internationals after undergoing knee surgery on Sunday. The Saracens No 8 is expected to be sidelined for four months and faces a race against time to be fit for next year's Six Nations.
Youngs admits Vunipola is a "key cog" but says it provides another opportunity to the likes of Nathan Hughes, who impressed in Vunipola's absence last season.
"Billy is a wrecking ball but he's much more than that with the subtleties he has," Youngs told Sky Sports News.
"There's no doubt he's a key cog in this side but he also had a similar injury last year and Nathan Hughes came in and did a terrific job.
"We are very blessed to have the strength in depth that we do, especially in the back row.
"We obviously wish Billy a speedy recovery. We are blessed though in how many guys capable of filling in for casualties between now and the autumn [internationals]."
England coach Eddie Jones expressed his disappointment on that he will be without Vunipola for some time.
"We are exceptionally disappointed for him personally," Jones said.
"He has had a tough run of late. We are disappointed for him, we are disappointed for Saracens and for England.
"We wish him the speediest of recoveries and we know he will be back better than ever. In the meantime we have a a lot of good players here."
England have announced that Chris Robshaw and Sam Underhill must undergo return-to-play protocols after suffering concussion.
Mike Brown (ankle) and Piers Francis (jaw) only took part in modified training on Monday, while Anthony Watson (knee) and Dylan Hartley (hand) did not train and Joe Marler (rib) was involved in some rehab work.
'New dynamic'
Youngs says England will be "genuine contenders" for the 2019 World Cup if they continue their upward curve, with young stars such as Marcus Smith bringing energy to the squad.
Youngs came up against Smith during Leicester's win at Harlequins last Saturday and he says the 18-year-old fly-half has a bright future.
"It's definitely something to be excited about," says Youngs on Smith's selection in Eddie Jones' England training camp.
"It shows that no matter your age, if you're playing well enough you're going to get picked or be considered, which is fantastic for any young player.
"It's great that Eddie is picking someone like that as well because naturally with any squad, you get youth in there and it brings a good energy and a new dynamic.
"If Marcus continues to develop like you've already seen this year, then the future is certainly bright for his playing career."
