Maro Itoje is set to miss England’s Six Nations matches against France and Wales and may be out for the rest of the tournament, because of knee ligament damage. In better news for head coach Eddie Jones, Manu Tuilagi is clear to face France on Sunday after escaping a citing for a shoulder charge on Ireland’s Jacob Stockdale. England will confirm on Tuesday the length of Itoje’s injury but the best prognosis is thought to be a return for their last match of the championship, against Scotland on March 16th. It is nonetheless a blow for Jones to lose a player he believes “is going to become the best lock in the world”. Itoje also sustained a knee injury towards the end of last year and spent five weeks out as a result.

Source: The Irish Times February 04, 2019 17:33 UTC