England have suffered a setback ahead of their Guinness Six Nations title defence after Joe Launchbury and Joe Marler were forced to withdraw from the squad.
Launchbury has been ruled out by a broken leg with his club Wasps hoping he will recover in time for the final two rounds of the Championship, while Marler has pulled out for personal reasons.
Charlie Ewels and Tom West have filled the vacancies in the squad at lock and prop.
Eddie Jones' squad is due to meet up at St George's Park on Wednesday to begin preparations for the tournament.
Always grateful for the opportunity so not an easy decision, but want to do right by my family in these crazy times and won't be meeting up with the squad for this tournament. Look forward to watching the team rip in. Go well 🌹 x
— Joe Marler (@JoeMarler) January 25, 2021
"Always grateful for the opportunity so not an easy decision, but want to do right by my family in these crazy times and won't be meeting up with the squad for this tournament. Look forward to watching the team rip in. Go well Rose x," Marler said on Twitter.
