Six Nations: Johnson out of Ireland/England climax

Martin Johnson is to undergo X-rays on a suspected broken hand.

The injury looks likely to rule the England captain out of next Saturday's Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin.

Johnson suffered the injury in Leicester's Zurich Premiership clash at Franklin's Gardens.

Leicester won the game 21-11 but the outcome was immediately overshadowed by news of Johnson's injury.

England coach, Clive Woodward, was part of the crowd which saw Johnson watch the second half from the Leicester dug-out with ice packed tightly around his left wrist.

"We believe he may have broken his left hand," said Leicester's director of rugby Dean Richards.

"He will have X-rays and we will take it from there.

"He played on for a while after the incident, but at half-time he said he was struggling to grip things and the best move was to take him off.

"It was an innocuous incident and obviously we do not know the extent of the damage."