England and Leicester Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi has been ruled of the Six Nations with a troublesome groin injury.

The 23-year-old first sustained the injury in October and he subsequently missed the Autumn Internationals. A setback means that he will almost certainly miss all of the Six Nations, which starts next month.

Asked when he could return, Tuilagi is quoted by The Guardian as saying: "I'm not sure. With this you have to just take it day by day and make sure it's better before you try to come back. There are good days and bad days. Some days it feels brilliant and you wake up the next day and it doesn't feel so good.

"[The end of February is] ideal but I have to get this right. It's not like a sprained ankle where you can snap up and get on with it. I have to make sure that, if I need to take another week or two, I'll take it."

England's first Six Nations game is against Wales on February 6.