England’s autumn international plans are facing further disruption with Exeter’s Jack Nowell the latest player to be forced out through injury. The British & Irish Lions winger is still undergoing checks after he sustained a blow to his left cheek and it is understood he is unlikely to resume playing for at least five weeks, ruling him out of the November Tests against Argentina and Australia.

Nowell, who has scored 11 tries in 31 Tests for England, was hurt in the first half of the Chiefs’ 34-24 win against Newcastle and his left eye remains badly swollen. Scans are still being carried out to determine the full extent of the damage but the 24-year-old Cornishman is a certain non-starter for his club’s opening two European Champions Cup pool games, against Glasgow Warriors and Montpellier this month.

Bloodied Jack Nowell an injury concern for Exeter as Sam Simmonds impresses Read more

His absence will be keenly felt by the domestic champions, who are eager to make a fast start to their European campaign, and also extends England’s injury list with their opening autumn Test against Argentina a month away. Billy Vunipola, Manu Tuilagi and Jack Clifford have been ruled out of the autumn series, with Exeter’s Luke Cowan-Dickie and Wasps’ Tommy Taylor among other recuperating squad members.

England’s head coach, Eddie Jones, does at least have plenty of wing cover with Jonny May, Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly and Marland Yarde all vying for starting places against the Pumas on 11 November. Exeter’s injury problems are also easing slightly with the wing James Short and the No8 Thomas Waldrom back in full training this week.

Jones’s predecessor, Stuart Lancaster, has responded coolly, meanwhile, to the publication of extracts from Rob Andrew’s new book which are critical of how England’s 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign was handled. Andrew, who was on the panel who selected Lancaster for the job and worked alongside him at the Rugby Football Union for several years, suggested the management were guilty of numerous errors of judgment which led directly to the team’s premature exit in the pool stages.

Lancaster, now employed at Leinster where his coaching work is attracting positive reviews, would not be drawn on Andrew’s specific allegations that he “took his eye off the ball” and became “pretty dictatorial” in the build-up to 2015, but he is clearly unimpressed at their publication two years on. “You learn a lot about yourself as a national team coach and you learn a lot about other people as well,” he said. “I have to say I didn’t see this coming, I wasn’t aware that anything was being written.

“It’s not for me to comment on whether it’s the wrong thing to do … people are motivated in different ways. But I guess it’s part and parcel of being a national coach. When you take the responsibility you’re accountable when it doesn’t go well. I think I did that from the start and I will still continue to do that.”

Lancaster also has little desire to rekindle the debate over his decision to fast-track the rugby league convert Sam Burgess into England’s World Cup midfield, a move which Andrew argues had “a negative effect” and proved “enormously costly” for all concerned.

“I’m not going to go there,” Lancaster replied. “I’ve got my thoughts and I’ll keep them to myself for the time being. I don’t think it will do anyone any good by going back all over that now. Everybody’s entitled to an opinion, Rob has given his and that’s his right, I guess. I coached England for over 50 international games … you go through good times, you have great wins and great moments [but] you go through tough times as well.”