Hughes, Daly hand England Six Nations blow

Number 8 Nathan Hughes and winger Elliot Daly were Thursday ruled out of the first half of England's Six Nations defence although neither of the injured Wasps pair will require surgery.

Fiji-born Hughes will take eight to 10 weeks to recover from his knee problem while Daly could be sidelined for three months to rest an injured ankle.

Daly scored two tries when England ended the international year with a comfortable 48-14 win over Samoa at Twickenham last month, a game which Hughes sat out.

"It is obviously very disappointing for the players, who are having really good seasons, but they know it is part and parcel of the game and they will all work hard to get back as soon as possible," said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young.