They're going down like flies. Interim coach Rob Howley has seen Wales's injury list grow and grow and now his problems have reached crisis proportions. Bradley Davies needs an operation on his ankle injury, bringing the number of locks on the absentee list to four.

If some of the leading referees in the British Isles are currently feeling a strange burning sensation somewhere in the region of the tympanic membrane – the eardrum, in layman's terms – they had better prepare themselves for a conflagration.

Stuart Lancaster names squad for upcoming tournament

Croft returned from a neck break last Friday

Evolution not further revolution in Lancaster's England as citing for outside-half not upheld

Leicester flanker makes comeback from neck injury and could claim place in England squad

Danny Care, Harlequins' England scrum-half, spoke for the league leaders after a fearsome forwards' performance in Saturday's 18-9 win at Northampton. "We wanted to send out a statement to the rest of the Premiership," said Care, "that we're the champions and we want to be the champions again."

Worcester 13 London Welsh 6

Harlequins 53 Zebre 5

Saracens are one month away from introducing the first non-grass pitch to professional rugby union. Saracens' players will use the artificial pitch at the club's new home in the refurbished Copthall Stadium in Mill Hill, north London, for the first time in training this week.

Harlequins 53 Zebre 5: Londoners overwhelm Zebre to take them to brink of quarter-finals

Zebre 14 Harlequins 57

Who saw that coming? I have been one of the more supportive voices in England's favour over the last few weeks but I never saw them beating New Zealand. The criticism levelled at Stuart Lancaster and his players over the previous two weeks was not a true reflection of their worth. Equally, as incredible as Saturday's performance was, England are not all of a sudden miles ahead of everybody else. Lancaster will be well aware of that and so will the players.