'We've got to deal with it and move on': Northampton's Phil Dowson

Northampton Saints boss Phil Dowson admits that he is still trying to discover the full extent of the ankle injury suffered by lock Alex Coles in England’s defeat to France last Saturday night.

Coles was helped off during England’s last-gasp 48-46 defeat to France in the Stade de France, and Dowson believes that he will be out of action for at least the next month.

But he will have a more accurate diagnosis once a specialist has had a chance to look at the scans, but the lock definitely won’t be involved for the next few weeks

“We’re waiting for a specialist opinion on Colesy. He’s obviously got an ankle issue, and we’ve had some scans done, but they need to be read by somebody who knows what they’re talking about.

“And unfortunately, my doctor work is not as good as I think it will be, a decent period of time from what I gather,” Dowson told RugbyPass.

He has also provided an update on scrum-half Alex Mitchell, who was forced off during England’s defeat to Ireland on 21 February, with a hamstring injury

“Mitch came off in the Ireland game, and he’s weeks away as opposed to a week away. He’ll be a considerable amount of time, I think,” he said.

“I’d say conservatively a month for Colesy and probably about that for Mitch.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s the nature of the beast. It’s one of those things that happens in rugby. People get injured. We’ve got to deal with it and move on,” he added.

Saints, who entertain bottom-of-the-table Newcastle Red Bulls in their return to Gallagher PREM action at the weekend, are counting the cost of injuries picked up by players away on Six Nations duty

Leaving Coles and Mitchell aside, highly rated winger Edoardo Todaro will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury he suffered with Italy pre-tournament and tight-head Elliot Millar Mills has returned from Scotland duty with a groin problem.