England's World Cup hangover refuses to go away, with injuries rubbing salt into the disciplinary wounds in the build-up to the start of the Six Nations campaign.
It was reported on Thursday that flyhalf Toby Flood and centre Manu Tuilagi are both doubtful for the start of the tournament on February - when England travel to Edinburgh to face Scotland.
Flood could miss the start of the Six Nations after suffering a knee injury.
It is understood the 26-year-old could be out for up to six weeks and miss the Scotland match and the Italy game a week later.
Richard Cockerill, Leicester's Director of Rugby said: "Toby has had a bang on the knee and it's being treated. We'll just have to wait and see how it progresses."
Flood's clubmate Manu Tuilagi is also out, after Leicester confirmed he is likely to need another month to recover from his torn hamstring.
“Manu will be out for four to six weeks,” Cockerill said.
“It may be a month depending on how his rehab goes.”
That almost certainly rules Tuilagi out of England's opening two Six Nations matches.
The news is bleaker still for lock Louis Deacon, one of the rocks England's pack during the World Cup.
The 31 year-old, who has 29 caps, also suffered a hamstring injury against Worcester and Cockerill said: “There will probably be three or four months of recovery time” for the lock.
“It's disappointing for him and we'll miss him a lot.”
Fellow Test lock Courtney Lawes is another player in a race against time, as he will be out injured for several weeks.
The 22-year-old is having a scan on his knee, but has a far better chance than Flood and Tuilagi to be available for the season opener.
This follows after the Rugby Football Union confirmed on Wednesday that miscreant Danny Care will play no part in the team's Six Nations campaign after the latest off-field controversy.
Another sad chapter was added to England's post-World Cup fall-out with the news that scrumhalf Danny Care has been axed from the national squad following his arrest for drink-driving on New Year's Eve.
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