England will have to make do without the services of Tom Croft for next year's Six Nations tournament.
The Leicester Tigers flanker has been forced on the sidelines with a knee ligament injury that he picked during the weekend's Aviva Premiership opener against the Worcester Warriors.
The 27-year-old is also expected to miss the entire domestic campaign with the complaint.
Croft also missed a large majority of last season because of a neck injury, although he did recover in time to represent the British and Irish Lions in Australia earlier this year.
