England wing Tom Roebuck faces a race to be fit for the start of the Six Nations after being sidelined for up to 10 weeks.
The 24-year-old suffered a badly broken toe in the victory over New Zealand and has been stood down until the New Year.
“The long medical term is a sesamoid fracture. I would say I broke my toe but it is a bit embarrassing to say it,” said Roebuck.
“It is a pretty hefty injury. The two bones in my sesamoid have basically split apart so it is a pretty tough one. I have just got to get on with it.
“Just before half time I got tackled, my foot stayed in the ground and I went over on it and the bone just went. It was one of those freak incidents. You get tackled and your foot stays in an ugly position and it just pops.
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“We didn’t realise how bad it was until the day after when I had the scan. I got off the pitch and it was pretty angry but we managed to get through it well and then I woke up in the morning and it was pretty purple. The bone had just snapped.
“I saw the specialist last Friday and he said no operation, which is good, but we are looking at 8-10 weeks.”
It is unfortunate timing for the Sale wing who took his chance well in the autumn, producing impressive performances against Australia and the All Blacks.
He is currently wearing a protective boot but has committed to all he can to be fit for England’s Six Nations training camp ahead of their opening game against Wales on February 7.
“Ideally, we want to be back pushing as much as we can for January some time. Anything we can do, we’re going to, so we’re going to look at all our options and aid that recovery as best we can,” he said.
“We have discussed these one per centers, looking at hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy…the sort of things that may be perceived as small but could have a great impact.
“I loved my time over the autumn. Playing for England was such a special thing for me and for it to be cut short was a bit heartbreaking. This is the game we play. Every single player in our game gets injured at some point, you have got to take the good with the bad and try and get back better and fitter.
“I just want to make sure that I’m there for whatever comes next.”