England head coach Stuart Lancaster has insisted that wing Chris Ashton will have to calm his "competitive nature" in order to get the best out of him for the national side.

Ashton will be unavailable for England in their opening QBE autumn international against Fiji due to a ban for a dangerous tackle while playing for Saracens.

"One of Chris's real strengths is his competitive nature," said Lancaster. "It is tempering that to make sure we get the best out of him and, alongside that, work on his tackle technique."

Meanwhile, reports have claimed that centre Jonathan Joseph is expected to be ruled out of Saturday's clash due to an ankle injury.