Cadan Murley has been replaced by England (Image: Getty)
The 131st edition of the Six Nations got off to an exciting start last week with fans treated to a spectacle across three games.
The opening game of this year’s edition saw France ease past Wales with a 43-0 win on Friday despite Romain Ntamack being sent off.
That was followed by Scotland convincingly defeating Italy with a 31-19 scoreline thanks to heroics from Huw Jones. It was the same old story for England, as they gave up a half-time lead to succumb to a narrow 27-22 loss to Ireland.
As is the case often in rugby, the opening fixtures of the 2025 Six Nations exacted a price on teams with injuries to some players. Here’s the updated injury news across the board ahead of this weekend.
Lozowski takes injured Murley’s spot for England
Cadan Murley has been replaced by Alex Lozowski ahead of England’s clash with France on Saturday with the former’s fitness in doubt after he suffered a foot injury.
Murley impressed on his debut for England against Ireland on Saturday, scoring a try in the eventual loss. As he goes through different tests and scans, there is hope he can return to feature later on in the tournament.
The injury to Murley will add further pressure on England manager Steve Borthwick, with his side having lost seven of their last nine games. However, in Lozowski, he gets an experienced veteran who could help bring the team out of their torrid form.
It must also be noted that England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is also currently sidelined and could miss the entire tournament.
Owen Watkin suffered a knee injury for Wales (Image: Getty)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Wales hit with unfortunate Watkin injury news
It was more bad news for Wales after their disappointing loss to France, with Owen Watkin suffering a knee injury in the game which will see him miss out on the rest of the campaign in all likelihood.
There are also concerns surrounding back-row forward Aaron Wainwright ahead of the upcoming clash with Italy, with Wainwright suffering a facial injury in the loss to France last week.
Fortunately, there is no sign of a fracture or concussion which could give Wainwright a chance to return against Italy. “The main issue was a fracture. He doesn’t have that fracture, so we are pretty hopeful he will be available,” said assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys in conversation with reporters at Wales’ training base in Nice.
Liam Williams and Taulupe Faletau are also doubts with the duo dealing with knee concerns. However, Humphreys is hopeful that they will play against Italy if they pass a late fitness test.
Key duo could miss out for Ireland against Scotland
The hard-earned victory against England seems to have come at a cost for Ireland as they could be without the likes of Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen with the duo suffering leg injuries.
“Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen will be monitored over the coming days after receiving treatment for leg injuries during Saturday’s win over England and it is hoped that both players will be available,” said a statement from Irish Rugby on Monday.
In case Bealham and Hansen cannot make the squad for the important clash with Scotland, the defending champions have called upon the uncapped pairing of Thomas Ahern and Shayne Bolton to take their place.
Triple boost for unscathed
Scotland will be grateful that their win against Italy did not lead to any new injury concerns ahead of their clash with Ireland, with the Scots already missing the likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings, Max Williamson, Andy Christie, and Kyle Steyn before the tournament’s start.
France entered this tournament without Gael Fickou, Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon, and Damien Penaud due to different injury concerns. While there are no new injuries, the returning Ntamack picked up a red card against Wales which will see him miss the game against England.
The only positive for Italy to take out of their loss to Scotland will be that they did not lose any player to injury in a tournament that seems to be plagued with multiple players suffering from them.