Moody out of Six Nations

ENGLAND star Lewis Moody will miss this season’s entire RBS 6 Nations Championship after suffering a broken ankle.

Moody has undergone surgery and faces up to three months on the sidelines.

A decision on Moody’s replacement in the England elite player squad will be made following this weekend’s final round of Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup pool games.

The squad heads to Portugal for warm weather training tomorrow, with Bath captain Michael Lipman and London Irish prospect Steffon Armitage heading the list of candidates available to England manager Martin Johnson.

Moody’s absence is yet another blow for Johnson, who will be without Wasps flanker Tom Rees at least for the first three Six Nations games, while second-row forward Tom Palmer will miss the whole tournament due to shoulder trouble.