Stuart Lancaster considers options as England set to miss Mike Brown

Stuart Lancaster’s week started with some bad news.

Mike Brown’s concussion symptoms have not cleared, and although he is working his way through the Graduated Return to Play protocol, he is considered extremely unlikely to be fit to play in Dublin on Sunday.

Assuming Brown does not make it — and considering he is unable to take part in contact training until Friday, that is highly likely — he will be replaced by Alex Goode, a top-class performer for Saracens (and England two years ago) who played a vital part in his side’s destruction of Munster in the European Rugby Champions Cup.