Injury blow for England as Lawes out of 6 Nations

ENGLAND have suffered a major blow ahead of their RBS 6 Nations campaign with the news that Northampton forward Courtney Lawes will miss the entire championship.

Lawes suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s 27-16 Aviva Premiership defeat at Leicester, although coach Jim Mallinder was upbeat over the likely recovery time after the match.

But national team manager Martin Johnson’s worst fears have been confirmed after medical examinations revealed ligament damage, pointing to a three-month lay-off.