Six Nations 2016: England and Saracens hooker Jamie George ruled out with biceps injury

England have confirmed that Jamie George will be unavailable for the pivotal Six Nations showdown against Wales at Twickenham on 12 March. The Saracens hooker is also set to miss the trip to France later this month and could well be sidelined for the rest of the domestic season, due to a biceps tendon injury.

Head coach Eddie Jones confirmed on 8 March that George, who has served as a second-half replacement for captain Dylan Hartley in all three of England's matches during the tournament so far, had suffered the injury during a routine training session. Exeter's Luke Cowan-Dickie remained in camp on standby while the 25-year-old underwent further medical assessments.

Providing an official update on the player's condition, forwards coach Steve Borthwick said: "Jamie hurt his bicep in training. He will be out for a period of time, eight to 10 weeks has been suggested by the doctor."

Such an absence means that Cowan-Dickie will remain with the squad for the duration of the Six Nations and is likely to add to his one solitary international cap, which was earned during the World Cup warm-up victory over France last September.

Elsewhere for Jones, Richard Cockerill has fired something of a warning shot over the treatment of Manu Tuilagi's fitness. The powerful Samoa-born centre is set to be included in the England match-day 23 for the first time since the 2014 tour of New Zealand following a torrid time with injury, and Leicester Tigers' director of rugby is eager to ensure that his return is handled carefully.

"Tuilagi needs to be managed properly," he told Sky Sports News. "If he's managed differently and he breaks down I will be mightily upset at that. But Eddie is a smart bloke and ultimately it's his decision.

"But to have good relationships you have to have trust and if he comes back broken because they've worked him too hard then we will be at where we are at and we will agree to disagree. Those are the only discussions I've had with Eddie and I've told him that this is what we've been doing with him and that he needs to be managed."