Courtney Lawes a doubt for England's tour of Australia because of dislocated thumb

Courtney Lawes captained England for the first time in November 2021

Courtney Lawes' inclusion in England's July tour of Australia could be in doubt after the forward dislocated his thumb playing for Northampton.

Saints rugby director Chris Boyd ruled Lawes out of Saturday's game at Bath.

He said further medical review was needed to determine the 33-year-old's availability beyond that.

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England's three-Test series against Australia starts on 2 July, while Northampton have four games left in the regular Premiership season and sit fifth in the table.

Boyd said the compound dislocation was "quite nasty", adding: "He has still got some medical decisions to be made around the skeletal function of the thumb and the muscle and ligament situation.

"All I can clearly say, until we get a medical view, is he won't play on Saturday. He needs specialist consultation to make a decision on what is the best course of action."

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