Saracens cagey on Itoje return

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has cautioned against jumping to conclusions over the likely length of time Maro Itoje will be absent for.

England forward Itoje fractured his jaw in Sarries’ 20-19 defeat to Harlequins on Sunday and is therefore considered a doubt for the start of England’s Six Nations campaign.

However, McCall told Sky Sports News: “I think it is wise to wait until we hear what the consultant says [on Thursday].

“Obviously I’m not an expert but these things range from 10 to 12 weeks to three or four weeks so I guess it is wiser to let the experts say that.

“He had an operation on Sunday evening after the game that went well, which is good news.”

LIVE | Mark McCall is speaking to the press ahead of Sunday's game against @ASMOfficiel in the @ChampionsCup at @AllianzPark.

?? "Maro will see the consultant tomorrow, George Kruis came back from a similar injury in 3/4 weeks but we'll just have to wait and see"

— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) December 6, 2017

Regardless of whether Itoje is fit to face Italy with England on February 4, European champions Saracens are sure to be deprived of one of their star players for at least a few weeks.

“Obviously it is a loss, he is a great player, Maro, but we’ve got other great players at the club and like every other club we’ve just got to crack on,” said McCall, whose team face back-to-back games against Clermont Auvergne over the next two weeks.

“We’ve probably got the amount of injuries that we normally have, it just so happens they have all come to players that would normally be in our first team.

“We have got a very good squad here and we will back that squad over the next number of weeks.”