Borthwick was kicked in the face against Gloucester last month

England captain Steve Borthwick will be given one more week's rest before making his return from an eye injury, according to his club, Saracens.

Borthwick will be back to face Toulon in the Challenge Cup on 15 October and then for England's November Tests.

"I will give him a week's break against Rovigo. For England, it will mean he is nice and fresh," said Saracens rugby director Brendan Venter.

Mike Tindall, Danny Cipriani and Olly Morgan are injury worries for England.

Cipriani registered Wasps' only try in their 20-15 win over Northampton on Sunday, but the club say he suffered bruising in a knock he took to his right knee with 10 minutes remaining.

It is not yet known how long the fly-half will be out for.

The 21-year-old is currently a part of England's second-tier Saxons squad, having missed out on a place in manager Martin Johnson's elite squad.

Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks admitted last month that Cipriani was "not happy" at being dropped to the Saxons, and he will hope for better news in the next squad announcement, expected in mid-October.

606: DEBATE I have been thinking about our current squad and who will be with us for 2011 and further on Loosey-Goosey

Centre Tindall and full-back Morgan both strained hamstrings in Gloucester's victory at Leeds on Sunday.

Tindall needed treatment after scoring his side's third try while Morgan, who came on as an early substitute, had to leave the field just before half time.

Gloucester say that both players will undergo further assessment on Tuesday.

Borthwick is recovering after a kick in the face injured his eye during Saracens' 19-16 win over Gloucester on 27 September.

The injury required five stitches and treatment at a specialist eye unit.

Scans revealed Borthwick, who turns 30 next Monday, had suffered "extreme swelling" but had not fractured his eye socket as feared.

Tindall hurt his hamstring in the victory over Leeds

He was originally expected to be sidelined for up to a month but if he returned against Toulon, it would mean a lay-off of two-and-half weeks.

A return against Toulon would give Borthwick three matches, including Guinness Premiership fixtures against Leeds Carnegie and Bath, before England's November internationals begin.

Gloucester's Olivier Azam has been cited for the kick, which he insists was accidental, and will appear before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel in Bristol on Tuesday.

England start with the visit of Australia on 7 November, then face Argentina and New Zealand at Twickenham over the following two weekends.

Johnson has already suffered a host of injuries to his backline ahead of the series.

London Irish full-back Delon Armitage and Brive inside centre Riki Flutey will miss the Tests while Leicester fly-halves Toby Flood (ruptured Achilles) and Sam Vesty (hamstring) are only expected to return to action for the Tigers in November.

Saxons and Harlequins centre Jordan Turner-Hall, who was a possible contender to replace Flutey, is also out, leaving Northampton's Shane Geraghty as the favourite to fill the 12 shirt against the Wallabies.

With Flood injured, Toulon's Jonny Wilkinson is expected to take the fly-half role with Tindall if fit, Brive's Jamie Noon, Dan Hipkiss of Leicester and Sale's Mathew Tait the other midfield candidates.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version