England’s Mike Brown set to miss big Aviva Six Nations clash

England’s full-back Mike Brown is almost certain to miss Sunday’s pivotal Six Nations clash in Dublin as he has still not recovered from a head injury suffered against Italy.

Brown was knocked out in a collision with Andrea Masi at Twickenham but was expected to have completed the Graduated Return to Play protocol in time to feature at the Aviva Stadium.

But last season’s Six Nations Player of the Tournament reported further symptoms of concussion at the end of last week and is now unable to participate in contact training until Friday.

With Stuart Lancaster keen to train with his first-choice side today and tomorrow – and the possibility of Brown suffering a further setback once he returns to training – that means Saracens’ Alex Goode is likely to take his place in a game that will go a long way to deciding the Six Nations title.

“I think hypothetically it’s going to be very early for me to pencil him in for a game at the moment,” said Lancaster.

“Is that because he could pull out on Friday if symptoms return? Correct. It (team selection) will have to be made within the next two days because the team need a chance to prepare.”

Meanwhile, TMO Shaun Veldsman will miss the clash between Ireland and England after being assaulted. Veldsman was attacked in his car after acting as TMO for Saturday’s Super Rugby match between the Stormers and Blues.

Reports from South Africa state he was stabbed in the chest with a sharp object.

The stabbing punctured his lung but he is stable in hospital. South African official Craig Joubert will take charge with France’s Jérôme Garcès and Mathieu Raynal his assistant referees.