Jack Willis replaces injured Sam Underhill for England

England have suffered another setback ahead of their Six Nations title defence after Sam Underhill was withdrawn from the squad because of a hip injury.

Underhill would have started the opening fixture against Scotland at Twickenham on February 6 but he could now miss the entire tournament. Jack Willis has been named as his replacement.

News of his injury comes the day after prop Joe Marler pulled out of the 28-man squad to be with his family during the coronavirus pandemic and Joe Launchbury learned he would sit out the first three rounds with a broken leg.

Willis promoted

Willis has been promoted from England’s 12-strong ‘shadow squad’ and will compete with Ben Earl and Mark Wilson for the vacancy created by Underhill’s absence.

Lewis Ludlam fills Willis’ slot in the second group of players, who are subject to the same Covid-19 testing procedures as the 28 in the event that injuries mean new personnel must be brought in.

Alec Hepburn and David Ribbans add depth at loosehead prop and lock to the shadow squad in the wake of the withdrawal of Marler and Launchbury.

Headache for Jones

Underhill’s unavailability is a headache for Jones, who is now forced to break up his preferred back-row featuring the big-hitting Bath openside, Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola.

Earl is seen as an ideal option for the bench given that he can cover six, seven and eight, but Wilson is also versatile and has been resurgent for Newcastle this season.

Willis, English rugby’s turnover king, made his debut last autumn but Jones opted against selecting him in the senior squad, which is to be retained throughout the Six Nations.