England face Six Nations headache as captain Owen Farrell suffers another injury

England will name a stand-in captain next week, with Courtney Lawes poised to deputise again after Saracens revealed that Owen Farrell has suffered an injury setback.

The 30-year-old playmaker was named as skipper for the Six Nations by head coach Eddie Jones earlier this week, in the expectation that he would make a comeback for his club against London Irish on Sunday, after two months out of action following ankle surgery.

However, plans for his return have been hastily abandoned as it has emerged that Farrell picked up an untimely injury in training.

Owen Farrell (right) has suffered a fresh injury in a blow ahead of England’s Six Nations term

Farrell was set to return for Saracens on Sunday but won’t now after suffering a training injury

The news will be a big blow to Eddie Jones (right) who named his Six Nations squad on Tuesday

He is due to see a specialist for further assessment early next week, just as England are gathering in Brighton to start their build-up to the championship opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 5. 

Farrell is not expected to join up with the Red Rose squad during the camp next week, which means there is no prospect of him being available to play in Edinburgh.

On that basis, Lawes – the veteran Northampton forward – is almost certain to take on the captaincy duties again, as he did so impressively for the autumn wins over Tonga and world champions South Africa.

The setback for Farrell may also create an opening for George Ford, who was omitted from the England squad announced on Tuesday. Leicester’s fly-half has been the form No 10 in the country this season, but Jones has been determined to allow Marcus Smith as the primary playmaker in his revamped back line.

Courtney Lawes (centre) is set to be named as England Six Nations captain in Farrell’s absence