Monday Round-Up

Lawes blow: England head coach Stuart Lancaster is waking up to more injury woes this morning, as news filters through of further injury to second row forward Courtney Lawes. Lawes, who has not played since before Christmas, picked up a heavy ankle knock against rivals for the Aviva Premiership crown, Leicester Tigers. Having undergone roughly a month of rehabilitation, it was originally expected that the bulldozing lock would be available for next weekend’s round of Champions Cup action and be fit to feature in Lancaster’s England plans for the opening clash of the Six Nations away to Wales. However, after yesterday’s victory over Welsh outfit the Ospreys, Saints boss Jim Mallinder confirmed Lawes’ injury requires a minor operation in order to repair damage to the bone. Lawes is expected to miss the next three weeks of action at the very minimum, leaving Stuart Lancaster with neither of his first-choice lock forwards, after it was confirmed that Wasps’ Joe Launchbury will miss the entirety of the Championship having undergone neck surgery.

No go for Ollivon: Phillipe Saint-Andre will be without the services of number eight Charles Ollivon, after the Bayonne man was forced to withdraw from the national squad courtesy of a shoulder injury. Ollivon, who made his international bow in the Autumn internationals and has represented France on two occasions now, has been earmarked as a player with substantial potential for the future. However, having struggled with a shoulder injury picked up during the December period of domestic action, Ollivon’s recovery has not gone as planned and is now expected to remain sidelined for a further two week period. While that does not rule him out of France’s first Six Nations game against Scotland indefinitely, it seems unlikely he will be fit and ready to feature on the international stage. It is widely expected that Phillipe Saint-Andre and his coaching ticket will announce a replacement back row forward in the absence of Ollivon.

Ryan Sheady