Shane Geraghty made his England debut against France last year

The in-form back, a member of England's training squad, was already ruled out of Saturday's clash with France.

An MRI scan has confirmed he will also be unavailable for England's final two games against Scotland and Ireland.

But the 21-year-old is hoping to recover in time for the Exiles' Heineken Cup quarter-final on 5 April.

Interview: Shane Geraghty on return

"I suppose that's what's keeping me going at the moment," he told BBC Radio London.

"I've been doing all the rehab to give myself the best chance to be fit for that."

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Geraghty made a big impact on his England debut last year against France and had impressed sufficiently in his recent outings for Irish and England's second-string side, the Saxons, to earn a place in the senior squad.

But he hyper-extended his knee on duty for Irish in last Sunday's Guinness Premiership win over Leicester, ending any immediate prospect of further international recognition.