Thursday 8 February 2018 09:53, UK
Maro Itoje says Ben Youngs will be missed by England this weekend but thinks they have the strength in depth at scrum-half to cope.
England welcome Wales to Twickenham on Saturday for a match which has big implications for the Six Nations, both teams having won their openers last weekend.
England will, however, be without Youngs after the experienced Leicester back suffered a serious knee injury during the win over Italy, which will sideline him for the remainder of the tournament.
Richard Wigglesworth has since been called into the squad and Itoje has backed his Saracens team-mate to deliver.
Itoje told Sky Sports: "Ben is a talented player and a big part of the squad, so he will be missed.
"He has shown over the last 70-odd caps how good he is.
"But I have been fortunate enough to play with Richard Wigglesworth for pretty much all my club career and I know what he can bring.
"And obviously there is Danny Care in that situation as well, so we are well catered for at that position and won't be left wanting for anything."
Wales romped to an impressive 34-7 win over Scotland in their opener and Itoje knows England will have to be on song this weekend if they are to remain on course for the title.
"We know they are a decent team with some tidy players and it is going to be a tough one," he said.
"But it is one we are looking forward to. We want to go out there and show people what we are really about and put in a solid performance."
