Ben Youngs suffers suspected ligament damage

By Adam Ellis
Ben Youngs is likely to miss the rest of the Six Nations after being taken off the pitch on a stretcher in England‘s 46-15 victory over Italy.
The scrum-half took a hit to his left knee in the 9th minute of the Six Nations opener and will undergo a scan today with England ready to call-up a replacement for Saturday’s clash against Wales.
“Ben will have an examination so we’ll know more after that,” head coach Eddie Jones commented after the Rome Test.
“He’s unlikely to be available for the Wales game. It’s too early to make any sort of prediction, but I’m always optimistic.”
With the experience of Danny Care in hand, Jones could add more veteran reliance to the scrum-half stock with Saracens’ Richard Wigglesworth or Wasps‘ Dan Robson.
Jones was high in praise for number 8 Sam Simmonds who bagged a brace of tries to show the loss of Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes to injury may not be a burden to the back row.
“Sam’s a good, young lad with a great set of skills. If he was a cricketer he’d be playing Twenty20. He’s a bit different – he’s fast and runs good lines,” Jones said.
“He’s a completely humble boy who just gets on with it. He’s fitted into the team well.”