Six Nations: Joe Marler ruled out for five weeks with fractured leg as England see injuries spiral out of control

Marler will miss the first half of England's Six Nations defence and adds to a lengthy injury list that will have Eddie Jones deeply concerned with less than a month to find a solution

Joe Marler will miss between four and five weeks after fracturing his left leg (Getty)

An undercooked captain, the first choice back-row missing and now the two best loosehead props in the country ruled out of the opening Six Nations match against France. If Eddie Jones felt his unbeaten 2016 was a breeze, 2017 promises to be incredibly different after it was confirmed that Joe Marler has suffered a fractured leg less than four weeks before England begin their grand slam defence.

Harlequins confirmed that Marler suffered a fracture to his lower left leg during the warm-up for last weekend's win over Sale Sharks, though the prognosis is not as bad as could be feared with such an injury and as a result, the prop should only miss around five weeks which should see in back in contention for the second half of England’s Six Nations campaign.

The blow jettisons Nathan Catt, Matt Mullan and Ellis Genge into contention for next month's Six Nations curtain-raiser, and while Bath prop Catt would be the smart choice, there are plenty of calls for young Leicester Tigers loosehead Genge to be handed his first international cap given his form in the Aviva Premiership this season - talk about being thrown in at the deep-end.

But while there is a silver lining to Marler’s setback, England’s injury troubles are beginning to spiral out of control. Jones is already unable to call on his first choice loosehead in Mako Vunipola, who looks almost certain to miss the entire campaign with the knee injury he sustained in Saracens’ victory over Sale last month.

Joining him on the sidelines is his brother, Billy, with England robbed of their form player in 2016 due to a knee injury that required surgery last November, having limped out of the victory over Argentina. The problems get worse for Jones in the back-row, as joining Vunipola on the sidelines is former captain Chris Robshaw, the Quins flanker undergoing shoulder surgery this week that will keep him out until April. With James Haskell’s recovery from a foot operation hit by a setback when he was knocked unconscious at the weekend just 36 seconds into his return for Wasps following a six-month absence, Jones now finds himself without the starting trio that wreaked havoc on the tour of Australia last summer.

It gets worse. Jones already has a decision to make over the inclusion of captain Dylan Hartley, who will not be eligible to play until the opening Six Nations encounter after he was handed a six-week ban for a hitting Leinster’s Sean O’Brien last December. With Jamie George delivering week-in, week-out for Sarries, it’s unlikely Hartley will lead England out at Twickenham against Les Blues.

The long-term absentee list is completed by Wasps flanker Sam Jones and Manu Tuilagi, the forgotten man of English rugby who must have walked under every ladder and crossed every black cat on his way to Welford Road for the New Year’s Day defeat by Saracens where he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage that has ended his season once again.

Billy Vunipola is one of England's long-term injury concerns (Getty)

There are short-term concerns too, namely the Saracens lock George Kruis and his potential second-row partner Joe Launchbury, although both look likely to be fit in time for Le Crunch after it emerged today that the Wasps forward should be in contention for this weekend’s European clash with Toulouse.

"The rehab has gone really well. As soon as I did it I was always really hopeful for this weekend," Launchbury said of his recovery from a calf injury.

"I'm delighted how it's gone and how the calf feels, so I'm ready to go again."

Maro Itoje looks set to revert to blindside flanker to cover the injury crisis (Getty)

Should both make it, Maro Itoje is likely to move to the back-row to fill Robshaw’s No 6 shirt, where he will be joined by Tom Wood and Nathan Hughes in a reshuffled pack. If facing the French wasn’t a daunting enough prospect with a patched up squad, then how about heading to the cauldron that is the Principality Stadium the following week to face Wales, who will be intent on making up for last season’s narrow 25-21 defeat. With a 14-match winning streak on the line, it feels like Jones’s job is only just beginning.