Will Stuart OUT? Five England tighthead options ranked as Steve Borthwick sweats over British and Irish Lions star’s fitness
Will Stuart (left) could be out of the Six Nations after picking up a suspected Achilles injury for Bath
England look set to be without British and Irish Lions tourist Will Stuart for the upcoming Six Nations campaign, with the tighthead suspected of rupturing his Achilles.
Stuart, 29, has become a mainstay for both Bath and England over the past few seasons, and recently won his 50th Test cap during the 2025 Six Nations. He also featured in three of England’s Autumn Nations Series Tests, forming part of the ‘Pom Squad‘.
His form for the national side also earned him a spot on the Lions tour earlier this year, and he featured in each of the three Tests against the Wallabies.
However, he now looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, after coming off early in the second-half during Bath’s Investec Champions Cup win over Munster on Saturday night.
“He’s not in a good way…”
“No, he’s not in a good way,” Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan said on Stuart’s injury. “It looks like it’s his Achilles. I’m no medical expert, but he couldn’t even stand up when he got pulled off the field. I’ll receive an update later, but it looks very serious.”
That initial diagnosis will leave England boss Steve Borthwick needing to look at his tighthead stock ahead of the 2026 Six Nations, but who are the leading options to replace Stuart?
Here’s our take on the current depth chart.
Front-runners: Joe Heyes
The obvious candidate is Joe Heyes, with the Leicester man already a key part of the England 23-man squad. Heyes, who was named England’s player of the summer after his exploits in the Americas, has really found his footing at Test level in 2025 after a pretty tough start in his early days in the white jersey. He has also started five of the past seven Tests for the national side, meaning he will know exactly the challenge in front of him this Six Nations as the proverbial leading option.
In the mix: Asher Opoku-Fordjour
After getting the nod to start against Los Pumas in the final Test of the autumn, Asher Opoku-Fordjour could also get an extended run in the side now in Stuart’s absence. The Sale man is quickly becoming one of the best tightheads in the PREM, and that form is starting to transfer across to the Test stage too. He is going to be in this squad for some time, but giving him a decent run in this Six Nations will only speed up his development at this level and could even see him become the starting option.
Outside bet: Afolabi Fasogbon, Trevor Davison
Summer tourists Afolabi Fasogbon and Trevor Davison could also be in the mix for a recall for the senior squad, and would certainly warrant it too. Both players have enjoyed strong starts to the domestic season for Gloucester and Northampton respectively, and both bring that mix of solid scrummaging and tidy work around the park too. They have also been involved with the England squad in recent times as well, so are not far off the mix.
Bolter: Vilikesa Sela
Should Borthwick want to bring a bolter in, Vilikesa Sela could be fast-tracked into the senior squad. While this would be a bold call, Sela is certainly one for the future and bringing him into the squad would only aid his development moving forward. His selection in the England A squad also shows he is in Borthwick’s thoughts – possibly for the future – but he did beat off stiff competition to make that squad.
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