Courtney Lawes is set to lead England into the Six Nations after captain Owen Farrell suffered a fresh injury setback which threatens to rule him out of the tournament.
On Friday morning Owen Farrell had sustained an injury in training this week, putting him out of their Challenge Cup encounter against London Irish on Sunday, has dealt a big blow to Jones’ plans.
Following the weekend’s European Champions and Challenge Cup matches, England will release a captaincy update on Monday as they assess the make-up of their 36-man squad.
Lawes appears to be the clear favourite to take up Farrell’s responsibilities after captaining against Tonga and South Africa in Farrell’s absence last season. Ellis Genge, like Tom Curry, was an official vice-captain during that campaign.
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England prop Joe Marler labelled Courtney Lawes “a people’s captain.”
“He plays for the boys, he talks about his love for the group and will always put his body on the line,” said the Harlequins prop after England’s unbeaten autumn campaign. “When he speaks, everyone listens. He’s a good guy and I’ve really enjoyed playing under him in this campaign. His growth in the last year to 18 months as a player has been brilliant.”
