Injured Owen Farrell ‘will be a big loss’ for England, says Nick Easter

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/27/injury-owen-farrell-england-nick-easter

Version 0 of 1.

England are ready for more dispiriting injury news after it was confirmed Owen Farrell will miss the Six Nations championship with a badly strained medial knee ligament. Brad Barritt and Geoff Parling also have ligament damage which looks set to rule them out of Test contention short-term, while Tom Wood and Kyle Eastmond are battling for fitness.

Farrell, who was injured playing for Saracens against Clermont on Sunday, has been diagnosed with a high-grade strain and is likely to be sidelined for at least two months. His England colleague Nick Easter admits Farrell’s absence against Wales in Cardiff next Friday will leave a significant hole, even though George Ford is the likely starting fly-half.

“I’ve not been involved since Owen’s been in the squad but I do know he is one of the key leaders, a driving force of the attack and the gameplan,” Easter said. “He has clearly proven his status on the international stage and he will be a big loss.”

Stuart Lancaster must decide on his preferred replacement in the event of Ford being forced off the field. Danny Cipriani, who has not started a championship game for seven years, will be given the opportunity to compete with Northampton’s Stephen Myler on the training ground but the head coach has other pressing issues to resolve in midfield and at lock.

Barritt and Parling also strained knee ligaments at the weekend and seem certain to miss the Wales encounter, and Lancaster will give an update on Eastmond (shoulder) and Wood (ankle) at the Six Nations launch in London on Wednesday.

With Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury, Ben Morgan, Ben Foden and Ed Slater on the long-term injury list, it seems likely Saracens’ George Kruis will start in the second-row alongside Dave Attwood. Two from Luther Burrell, Billy Twelvetrees and Jonathan Joseph are in line to feature at centre.

Easter has detected no sense of despondency in the camp despite the rash of injuries. “It’s not really been brought up,” said Easter, who has cancelled a Caribbean holiday to link up with the national squad for the first time since 2011. “There’s fantastic strength in depth in this country and we’re equipped to deal with the situation. Stuart has blooded a lot of players in recent years and the coaches are confident these guys will step up.”

Lancaster did his best to put a positive spin on Farrell’s absence. “It is a real shame but we are fortunate to have three other No10s in the squad in what is a very competitive position,” he said. “We will look forward to seeing how they go.”