Tom Rees will miss the Six Nations campaign after suffering a recurrence of the knee ligament injury that restricted him to less than 40 minutes in last season's championship.

The England flanker does not require surgery but will be out of action for two months. Rees, one of the men in white's few impressive performers last November, suffered the injury minutes after coming on as a replacement in Wasps' win over Harlequins last Sunday.

"My knee got forced inwards and I felt a little pop" he said. "It's a sickener." Rees's woe could open the door for the London Irish flanker Steffon Armitage when the England squad is announced next week.