Owen Farrell: England captain to miss entire Six Nations campaign with injury

The Red Rose skipper has been out of action since November after coming off injured in the victory over the Wallabies in the Autumn Nations Series.

Farrell was due to return last weekend for Saracens’ Challenge Cup tie against London Irish, but suffered a setback ahead of that clash.

Head coach Eddie Jones, as well as Farrell’s club side Sarries, have now confirmed that Farrell will undergo surgery on Wednesday and faces eight to 10 weeks of rehabilitation.

“Owen is out of the Six Nations. It’s a massive blow for him personally and for the team it’s a blow,” Jones said.

“But it’s obviously an opportunity for other guys to step up into leadership roles and for other players to play for that 12 jumper.

“We see it more as an opportunity. In today’s rugby, having your best team on the field is a rare occurrence. We’re pretty used to it. There’s an opportunity there to build a bit more leadership depth.”

British and Irish Lions flanker Courtney Lawes is pencilled in to replace Farrell as captain, resuming a role he filled with distinction during the autumn.

Lawes is progressing through the return-to-play protocols for concussion sustained on Northampton duty against Ulster on January 16 but should recover in time for the trip to Murrayfield.

“Courtney is progressing nicely and we’re still hopeful he’ll be available for Scotland,” Jones said.

The outlook on Jonny May is less positive, however, with the Gloucester wing set to miss the whole Championship because of an ongoing knee issue.

“Jonny’s more likely than not going to have some surgery, but the details on that are a bit sketchy at the moment. He’s more than likely to be out of the Six Nations,” Jones added.