England and Saracens have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Billy Vunipola has been ruled out for at least 12 weeks with a knee injury.
The no.8 suffered a torn cartilage during England‘s 27-14 win over Argentina on Saturday and underwent surgery on Sunday.
During his time on the sidelines, he will miss Saracens’ last four pool games in the Champions Cup as well as the start of the Six Nations and this week’s game against Australia.
“Billy’s been absolutely fantastic for England over the last 11 months and we wish him a quick recovery,” said England head coach Eddie Jones.
“He’s a very influential player in the set-up and there’s no doubt he’ll be missed for the game against Australia.
“But where there is an injury there’s an opportunity for someone else. We’ve had five or six front line players missing throughout the series so I’ve no doubt we’ll adapt and work that little bit harder this week. I’m sure the players will respond to this by going up a level and peak for this game.”