Saracens statement: England lock Nick Isiekwe will undergo surgery

Nick Isiekwe will miss England’s Autumn Nations Series after Saracens confirmed that he will undergo an unspecified operation this week. The lock had made great strides at Test level in 2022, making five appearances for his country and ending his spell in the international wilderness which dated back to his last appearance in June 2018.

He started on three occasions during four games with England during the Guinness Six Nations while he also came off the bench in the tour-series decider versus Australia in July.

With fellow second row Charlie Ewels set to miss most of the upcoming season following his serious tour injury, the loss of Isiekwe for the November matches versus Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa will test the depth of Eddie Jones’ squad at second row.

Saracens are due to start their new Gallagher Premiership campaign in round two at Harlequins on September 17 following next week’s opening week bye-week. Their short statement read: “Saracens can confirm that Nick Isiekwe will undergo surgery this week.

“During a routine appointment and after discussion with a consultant, it has been recommended to carry out a procedure. The surgery will keep him out of action for several months. We will update you further regarding his return to action during the rehabilitation process.”

It was last March when Saracens boss Mark McCall sang the praises of Isiekwe for fighting his was back into England contention after four years. “He’s a brilliant club man,” said the coach when asked by RugbyPass to give his verdict on Isiekwe’s revived fortunes. “He went away to Northampton (on loan) last year and they really enjoyed having him as well.

“He is one of those guys who just fits in very easily wherever he is and during the Six Nations he was on the bench for us up at Newcastle. He rolled his sleeves up and got stuck in with his teammates. That is the kind of person he is.

“Nick got capped early and maybe on reflection, it was a little bit too early and he had a couple of difficult experiences, especially away in South Africa when he played there. But he was much more ready for England this time around. He’s 23 now and is on top of his game.

“I thought he was more mature, a lot more confident in himself and he took the opportunity really well. It was a bit of a topsy-turvey championship in terms of selection because he started the first two and then was left off for a bit, but we were delighted he got picked for the last game. He is only going to benefit from having gone through the whole Six Nations.”