England suffer Six Nations blow with star prop set to be ruled out for whole campaign
England prop Fin Baxter is set to miss the entirety of his team’s Six Nations campaign as he will undergo foot surgery this week.Baxter has played in all of the national side’s last 18 Tests, dovetailing nicely with Ellis Genge on the loosehead side of the scrum.The 23-year-old was a late withdrawal from Harlequins’ defeat by Bristol in December and hasn’t featured since.On Tuesday England confirmed Baxter and Sale flanker Ben Curry won’t be part of their training camp in Girona this week ahead of their Six Nations opener with Wales on February 7.Curry has been replaced by Baxter’s Harlequins team-mate Jack Kenningham.Baxter has added to England’s prop struggles, with Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour also absent from head coach Steve Borthwick’s squad due to injury. Fin Baxter is set to miss the duration of the Six Nations with foot surgery planned this week Baxter, centre, has played in each of England's last 18 Test matches, dovetailing nicely with Ellis Genge on the loosehead side of the scrumHis upcoming operation is also bad news for his club who have had an awful PREM Rugby season, winning just two of 10 matches.Meanwhile, with the clock ticking on Jamie George’s rugby career hs is aiming to join a prestigious list of Six Nations greats.George has confirmed he will retire at the end of next season, hoping to bring the curtain down by helping England to win the 2027 World Cup.The hooker has already won three Six Nations titles with England and toured three times with the Lions, but wants to begin his last hurrah with another Championship win in 2026. And if he can triumph this year and next before he walks away, he will join Wales hero Alun Wyn Jones and Ireland trio Conor Murray, Cian Healy and Iain Henderson with five crowns.England will go into their Six Nations opener with Wales on Saturday on a run of 11 straight victories – but have not won the tournament since 2020.‘I have hopefully got two Six Nations left in my career and I want to get my hands on that trophy as much as anyone,’ said hooker George, 35.‘The motivation is incredibly high in the squad and there is a real appetite to get better and kick on and achieve things.‘I have been lucky enough win three (Six Nations) and that isn’t enough in my time. Ellis Genge expressed his determination to help England win the Six Nations as he enters the final years of his career‘At England, we want to be at the top. We want to win things.‘We have got too many second places and too many third places and that extends itself to World Cups as well. The sign of a good team is finding a way to win. Doing that consistently is something we are looking to achieve.’Asked about his decision to confirm his retirement 18 months out from the next World Cup in Australia, George added: ‘It just reinforces how special what I do is and how much I am going to love the next 18 months.‘I have never taken for granted how much of a privilege it is to play in the Six Nations and represent England.‘Ideally, my career will finish at the World Cup in 2027. But I am not looking that far ahead. I want to give myself the best opportunity to be in with a chance of selection for Wales then Scotland moving forward.’Despite nearing the end of his career, George remains a key figure for England head coach Steve Borthwick.England will ramp up their preparations for their Six Nations opener with Wales a week on Saturday with a training camp in Girona this week.Captain Maro Itoje will be a late arrival in Spain after attending the funeral of his mother Florence in Nigeria – the country where his parents were born.‘The reason I want to continue playing is to be able to be part of a Saracens team and an England team that is really on the rise,’ George said. ‘I have a huge belief in the coaching team. We are just generating belief.’
Share or comment on this article:
England suffer Six Nations blow with star prop set to be ruled out for whole campaign
