Saracens have confirmed that Ben Earl will be available for the Six Nations despite suffering a knee injury in the build-up to their one-sided victory against fellow Londoners Harlequins.
After he left The Stoop on crutches there were fears that one of England's stars of the Rugby World Cup would be unavailable for the Six Nations, as they look to consolidate from their third-place finish at the former tournament.
But a scan revealed relatively minor meniscus damage which has now been repaired and should lead to a return for the explosive back row by January.
“Ben had a minor knee procedure this morning. We anticipate he'll be out for between four to six weeks. Overall I think that would be a good result,” Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said.
“We're all pleased it's not a serious long-term injury. I think he will be playing in the month of January.
“There are three or four games in January so that would be ample time for Ben to get in.
“He's had a busy time with a lot of minutes in August, September and October, so to have a six-week period not playing rugby might actually be good for him in the long run.”
In a chaotic build-up to Saturday's match the reigning champions also lost Alex Lozowski to a pre-match injury, and captain Owen Farrell – also the England skipper – praised his troops for the way they reacted to the adversity and came out with an outstanding result.
Unfortunately Lozowski's injury is more serious, having damaged his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) which can regular result in six-month lay-offs or longer.
Though McCall was optimistic for a swift recovery for the centre who has rarely been on the sidelines in his more than seven-year stay at the club.
“Alex has been such a reliable good player for us since he arrived and I can't remember the last time he was injured,” McCall added.
“As far as I know it's as clean an ACL injury as you can get which can impact how quickly you come back.”
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