MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 01:46:22| >> :120:16912:16912:

Owen Farrell out, Tom Croft in for England

Farrell out, Croft in for England
© PA Photos
A thigh injury rules key fly-half Owen Farrell out of England's Six Nations clash with Italy at Twickenham, but Tom Croft is fit to return to Stuart Lancaster's squad.

Owen Farrell has been omitted from the England squad to face Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday due to a thigh problem.

The Saracens fly-half, who is the top scorer in this year's competition with 43 points, picked up the injury in the 23-13 win over France last weekend.

Toby Flood is likely to start in place of Farrell, and Tom Croft could also feature at Twickenham after missing a year of action with a neck injury.

Coach Stuart Lancaster told reporters: "Tom has been seen by a specialist, played back-to-back games and played 80 minutes at the weekend and did extremely well.

"In consultation with the medical teams and [Leicester director of rugby] Richard Cockerill, we've brought him back into the camp. He's available for Italy and Wales."

Lancaster also hopes to have Farrell available for the March 16 trip to Cardiff, where England could secure the trophy and a Grand Slam in the process.

ID:72458: cacheID:72458:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2279:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England's Owen Farrell kicks a penalty against Ireland in their Six Nations match on February 10, 2013
Read Next:
Farrell ruled out for a week
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!