Saracens issue positive Ben Earl injury update

England could be set for a pre-Six Nations boost with the news from Saracens that Ben Earl is nearing a return to action sooner than expected.

Initially it was feared that the No.8, England’s best performer at the World Cup, would be sidelined well into January after undergoing “a minor knee procedure” to correct the injury he suffered in the warm-up ahead of Saracens’ Premiership clash against Harlequins.

However, Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall delivered a much more upbeat verdict when talking to the media on Tuesday.

“He’s doing well, he was running consistently last week and this week, and he should be in training with us towards the end of this week or, at the worst, early next week after Christmas. He has a chance of playing in the Newcastle game (on 30 December),” said McCall.

“Our medical team has done a great job, our performance team has done a good job, and Ben’s worked very hard and has been very diligent about his rehab and is ahead of schedule.

“But we won’t take any risks with him so if he is not quite right for Newcastle, we will get him in the week after (away to Leicester).”

Saracens are also hopeful that Nick Isiekwe, Rotimi Segun (both (hamstring) and Ollie Hoskins (broken thumb) will be available again for selection over the festive period.