England centre Ollie Lawrence appeared to break down as he left the field after picking up an injury against Italy. The game was just seven minutes in when the 25-year-old stayed on the ground after his side were awarded a scrum, and was in evident pain as he was treated by medical staff.
After being helped to his feet, Lawrence was placed on the back of a medical cart before being driven off. He didn’t try to hide his anguish, looking close to tears as he covered his hand with his face. On ITV, commentator David Flatman said the manner of the Bath man’s fall was a concern.
“He went down like he’d been shot,” he said. “That’s heartbreaking for him. It’s very sad for Ollie Lawrence and you hope that’s it less serious then it seems. Obviously he wanted to see out this Championship but his club team Bath are going great guns as well.”
Replays showed that Lawrence went down under no contact from an opposition player, suggesting the problem was muscle related. As well as England, the incident could also impact Andy Farrell’s British Lions selection this summer, with the player considered a contender to play in the Test series in Australia.
He was duly replaced by Marcus Smith, whose introduction was met with large cheers by the Twickenham crowd. Smith came on at full-back, with Elliot Daly moving into midfield at outside centre – but the Harlequins man consoled his injured team-mate before entering the fray.
Lawrence has 33 Englasnd caps and has been a critical performer for Steve Borthwick in the 2025 Six Nations. He’s started all our games thus far, and scored in their thrilling 26-25 win over France.
His departure signified the third high-profile injury in the Championship this weekend. Ireland’s preparations for their game with France were hampered in the warm-up when winger James Lowe, also considered a contender for the Lions, was ruled out with a back spasm.
During the first-half, French scrum-half Antoine Dupont left the field after a collision with Tadhg Beirne. The star has since confirmed ha has ruptured the cruciate ligaments in his knee and is set to ruled out for several months.
