Eddie Jones was mischievously given a non-slip bathroom mat by his England squad to mark his 57th birthday on Monday.

Jones was presented with the gift by defence coach Paul Gustard at the Grand Slam champions' Surrey training base after attending last week's Six Nations launch with a heavily-bruised left eye.

The Australian claimed to have slipped in the bathroom of his hotel while exiting the shower to fetch his razor, requiring a nasty wound above his cheekbone to be dressed.

But if the players' gesture didn't put a smile on Jones' face, confirmation that Joe Marler was poised to complete his comeback from his fractured leg probably did.

England's head coach Eddie Jones revealed his facial injuries at the 2017 Six Nations launch. John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

Marler was told he would be sidelined for five weeks after withdrawing from the warm-up of Harlequins' victory over Sale on Jan. 7, effectively ruling him out of the opening two rounds of the Championship.

However, having resumed full training in last week's Portugal training camp, the loosehead prop is set to start when England launch their Grand Slam defence against France at Twickenham on Saturday.

"Joe is looking good and has been taking a full part in training," forwards coach Steve Borthwick said.

"He's a fast healer! He's done really well, he has been incredibly diligent in terms of doing everything he can to get fit. That's great credit to him."

The news was an enormous boost for England, who are likely to be without first-choice loosehead Mako Vunipola for the entire Six Nations campaign because of a knee problem.

Vunipola and Marler have been locked in fierce competition for the position, with the former edging ahead last year with a series of world-class displays for Saracens and England.

"It's great that we have that competition for places at loosehead and we're trying to build that in every single position," Borthwick said.

"We want top international players competing hard and pushing each other. That's what Joe and Mako did last year.

"There have been a couple of knocks and bangs since, but it's great to have players of that quality."

England have received further good news on the injury front after James Haskell and Jack Clifford were cleared for their opening match.

Haskell has made two brief appearances for Wasps since returning from toe surgery earlier this month but after seeing a specialist to assess the residual soreness he felt in the foot, he has been cleared to play.

The flanker is unlikely to start, however, given his lack of match fitness with Tom Wood likely to continue at openside.

Clifford, who offers an alternative to Nathan Hughes at number eight, has also resumed full training after recovering from a chest injury.