England hooker Dolly facing months out of the game

England hooker Nic Dolly is facing months out of the game after suffering a horrendous knee injury against Newcastle Falcons yesterday at Welford Road.

Despite a 22-point winning margin away from home at Kingston Park, the injury to the 22-year-old left a sour taste in Tigers’ mouths as they eye up the Gallagher Premiership play-offs.

Dolly fell victim to a ‘crocodile roll’ from Newcastle’s Adam Brocklebank, who was sin-binned for the incident. The hooker’s knee appeared to fold in the turf in a gruesome manner and he was stretchered off.

Joel Kpoku | Le French Rugby Podcast | EP 30

Joel Kpoku | Le French Rugby Podcast | EP 30

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Play is stopped after Nic Dolly stays down and the TMO intervenes, as a 'crocodile roll' is seen and yellow card awarded to Newcastle's Adam Brocklebank.

[0-10] #NEWvLEI ?? #COYT ?

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— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) May 21, 2022

While there is no official medical update as yet from Tigers, it looks like that Dolly will miss England’s summer tour to Australia at the very least.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the scan says, but one thing we know is he’s a tough lad and he’ll come back a better player,” said Leicester Tigers’ head coach Steve Borthwick after the game.”

It’s the second major lower limb injury in the Premiership this weekend. On Friday Wasps lock Elliott Stooke sustained a fibula fracture.

Dolly’s close friend and teammate Ollie Chessum told LTTV after the game that: “As Steve said in the changing room, if one of us gets hurt we all get hurt. It’s devastating when you see your mate going down injured, especially with the season he’s had. He’s just come back from a little niggle, to get fit the way he has.

“Obviously with thing coming up with England. We don’t know how serious it is as we don’t have a diagnosis but hopefully it isn’t too serious but it didn’t look nice. The bloke Dolly is, he’ll crack on now with rehab and he’ll try and get back fit. If that takes some time then that takes some time.”

Leicester remain top of the Premiership and are looking forward the challenges the end of the season will present a relatively inexperienced playing group.

“There were some new challenges for us today as a group,” said Borthwick. “Only a handful of this group have ever played here in the Premiership in Newcastle for Leicester Tigers before today.

“We are still having a lot of those new challenges come up for us, as a young group, and that’s my job to prepare the players as best we can to be ready for whatever those challenges are.

“Look at the forward pack today, the average age is 25 and that’s with Dan Cole in it. There is still so much growth in and so much to learn for this group.”