Why is Marcus Smith not playing for England in the Six Nations against Wales?
ENGLAND got off to a winning start to the 2024 Six Nations after beating Italy 27-24 in Rome.
Red Rose will host Wales at Twickenham in their next clash as they look to continue their winning start to the tournament - but they must do so without key man Marcus Smith once again.
Why is Marcus Smith not playing for England against Wales?
Marcus Smith was not available for selection for England's Six Nations 2024 opener against Italy due to a calf injury.
The fly-half was seen leaving Red Rose's training base in Girona on crutches last Monday.
Veteran took Smith's position as fly-half in England's opener in Rome, with debutant Fin Smith coming on for the final 14 minutes.
There is concern that the 24-year-old could miss the whole of the Six Nations, which would be a huge blow to Steve Borthwick and his side.
The England head coach has revealed that Smith will also miss next weekend's showdown with Wales at Twickenham due to the calf problem.
Speaking before the Italy match, he said: "Marcus will go back to England today (last Thursday) and have further investigations later this week. He won’t be available next week.
"We’re not sure exactly when. Hopefully he will play in the latter part of the Six Nations, but it will be a number of weeks. We’ll know more next week."
When is England vs Wales?
- England vs Wales will take place on Saturday, February 10th.
- The match will start at 4.45pm GMT.
- Twickenham Stadium will host.
What TV channel is England vs Wales on and can it be live streamed FREE?
- England vs Wales will be broadcast live on ITV1.
- You can live stream the match for FREE via the ITVX app/website.
- Alternatively, you can follow SunSport's live blog to keep up to date with all the action.