England flanker Jack Willis is out of England’s Rugby World Cup campaign after suffering a neck injury in the 71-0 win over Chile.
A replacement for the 26-year-old, who has endured a string of serious injuries, is expected to arrive in France at the start of next week.
Willis’ brother Tom, who plays for Saracens, and Northampton’s Tom Pearson are contenders to be called up.
Alex Dombrandt, Sam Underhill and Zach Mercer might also be considered.
“We are obviously really disappointed for Jack, he has been an important member of this team and this squad,” said head coach Steve Borthwick.
“We anticipate the injury will just be a few weeks, but clearly with the timescales we operate in he will be replaced in the 33.
“He is naturally very, very disappointed. His return to being back on the field has already started – a determined man like that wants to be at his very best and getting stuck into the work that needs to be done.”
Willis suffered a serious knee ligament injury in the Six Nations win over Italy in Rome in February 2021, which kept him out of action for more than a year.
Eight months after his return, his club side Wasps went into administration, prompting him to move to French side Toulouse.
He is available for selection for this tournament because of the extraordinary circumstances around that switch.
However, his decision to sign a three-year contract extension with Toulouse in April means that his England career is likely to be put on hold because of the Rugby Football Union’s policy of not selecting players based overseas.