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England lose Vunipola

Billy Vunipola will take no further part in the Six Nations due to a sprain to his right ankle.

The Saracens No.8 had a scan on Monday which revealed some ligament damage that will keep him out of action for the rest of the tournament.

The 21-year-old was forced off before half-time during England's 13-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham at the weekend, with Ben Morgan coming off the bench for the rest of the match.

The England and Saracens medical teams will work closely with Vunipola on a recovery plan for the rest of the season.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: “It’s a blow as Billy has had a good Six Nations but he is young and will be back.

“The encouraging thing is we have got Ben Morgan and other back rows such as Matt Kvesic and Tom Johnson who are all competing hard for places.”

However, the family are still set to be represented in the Test squad, with Billy's brother Mako, two years older at 23, currently one of England's reserve props and who came on as a replacement against Ireland.

England's victory on Saturday saw them create a four-way tie at the top of the table involving themselves, Ireland, France and Wales, all of whom have won two out of their opening three matches this Six Nations.

Ireland though have a huge points difference advantage of +42, compared to England's +21, Wales' +six and France's +one.

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