Six Nations: Elliot Daly retained in 25-man England squad as Ireland preparations continue

Elliot Daly remains in contention to feature for England during their closing 2017 Six Nations clash against Ireland as he continues to go through the graduated return-to-play protocols at Pennyhill Park.

The versatile Wasps wing has been retained by Eddie Jones as part of a 25-man squad that will prepare for a pivotal trip to Dublin that, following their emphatic 61-21 title-clinching demolition of Scotland at Twickenham, could see the reigning champions seal their second successive Grand Slam and surpass New Zealand with a record-breaking 19th consecutive tier-one test victory.

Daly's Calcutta Cup outing was ended prematurely by a dangerous early tip tackle from Fraser Brown which saw the Scotland hooker sin-binned and cited for lifting his opponent's legs above the horizontal.

Having initially returned and tried to play on after a head injury assessment, he was permanently replaced by try-scorer Anthony Watson shortly after the 15-minute mark amid problems with blurred vision.

Defending the decision to send Daly back on, Jones said afterwards: "He had a test by the match doctor and was passed fit, went back on the field and had some blurred vision. He was tested again by the match doctor at the end and passed fit.

"We don't have any concerns at all that we followed the protocols to the absolute letter. He's only got a busted nose now. He is following his protocol pretty closely. We are positive he is going to be okay. He is fine. Very well."

Brown faced the possibility of his offence being upgraded to a suspension, but is now free to face Italy at Murrayfield after a disciplinary hearing held on Tuesday (14 March) where it was decided by a three-person independent committee that such an act of foul play did not merit a red card.

If Daly is not deemed fit to start against Ireland, then Watson will likely continue in his place. Jones must also decide whether to keep the faith with number eight Nathan Hughes or instead opt for Billy Vunipola, who appeared as second-half substitute against Scotland having recovered from a serious knee injury suffered in the autumn.