Eddie Jones voiced his concern for Jack Willis after the England flanker suffered a sickening knee injury in Saturday’s 41-18 Guinness Six Nations victory over Italy at Twickenham.

Willis was driven from the field on a medical cart in the 66th minute after Sebastian Negri rolled him out of a ruck, forcing a cry of pain from the Wasps back row as his leg twisted awkwardly.

It was a cruel blow to Willis, who shortly before had scored his second international try but is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“It was a step in the right direction. The spine of our team is still a young group. It was much better than last week against France,” Smith said.

“There were some soft moments but we’ve made some good progress over the last two games.

“I’m very happy that we were competitive during the match. We need to be better at managing certain situations. That’s something we can improve.

“We ned to improve our technique and tactics, but with our physicality we are getting there.”