England are desperately short of Test-match second-row experience for the autumn internationals after Joe Launchbury was ruled out for two months with a neck injury. The lock, a starter in England’s last 20 Tests, will be looked after by the Wasps medical team who will liaise with their England counterparts to ensure he is ready for the Six Nations in February. Launchbury will miss the tough autumn Test schedule which starts against New Zealand on Saturday and is followed by matches against South Africa, Samoa and Australia. He joins Alex Corbisiero, Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Tom Croft, Dan Cole and Geoff Parling on the list of key forwards absent for those Twickenham matches. Uncapped...
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