Tom Curry will not return before the end of the Six Nations due to another hamstring injury.

Curry had been in line to return for England against Wales this week after missing time with a tear to his right hamstring.

But after making his comeback for Sale Sharks on Saturday, he injured the same muscle in his left leg.

On Tuesday, England confirmed Curry would be replaced in the squad by brother Ben.

An update followed from Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who ruled the back rower out for the remainder of the tournament.

"It's a grade 2c hamstring injury on the opposite side to the one that he did six weeks ago," Sanderson said.

"It's a soft muscle injury that extends into the tendon. It's four to six weeks."

Sanderson explained the injury had been sustained after linking up with England this week rather than in the club match against Northampton Saints.

He attributed the setback to "something to do with the loading and the physical demands of an international camp compared to your club".

Defending the decision to involve Curry against Northampton, Sanderson said: "Tom knows his body and his mind better.

"This is not a guy who needs two or three games to warm up. He can just go straight in and be at the top of his game."

Tom Curry will not make his England comeback against Wales on Saturday due to a leg injury and has been replaced in the squad by his twin brother Ben.

Curry had hoped to return for the Six Nations battle at the Principality Stadium this weekend after a spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring tear.

But the back rower, who played for Sale Sharks in a win over Northampton Saints on Saturday, will not feature in Cardiff after withdrawing from the squad.

Ben Curry has been drafted in by head coach Steve Borthwick, while Ben Earl has been omitted after coming off the bench in the round-two win over Italy.

Fit-again lock Courtney Lawes is poised to make first England appearance since captaining his country in the series victory in Australia last year. Wing Ollie Hassell-Collins misses out with a knee issue.

Warren Gatland delayed naming his team on Tuesday amid uncertainty over potential strike action from Wales players, but the head coach said he was confident the issues would be resolved and the game would go ahead.

Warren Gatland has delayed naming the Wales team to face England but is confident the Six Nations game will go ahead on Saturday amid uncertainty over potential strike action.

Wales players remain in a contract dispute with the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and have been considering making themselves unavailable to do battle with England this weekend.

A new six-year financial agreement between the Welsh Rugby Union and the four professional regions – the Dragons, Cardiff, the Ospreys and the Scarlets – has not been signed off as talks continue.

Gatland was due to announce his team for the clash at the Principality Stadium on Tuesday but the head coach had to change his plans.

The players have reportedly stated they want the issues to be resolved by Wednesday and New Zealander Gatland expects a positive outcome.

He said when explaining why he had not named his side: "I think with the uncertainty that was happening, there's a lot of meetings. I just wanted clarity for the boys with tomorrow then we come back [to train] on Thursday.

Gatland added: "I'm confident it'll go ahead. The players have probably had about half a dozen meetings in the last few days. It's been a bit of a challenge but sometimes that galvanises people.

"The players have been given assurances that things will be sorted out, but unfortunately they have not. It finally came to a head.

"I think it's a genuine threat [of taking strike action], no doubt about that. But having spoken to a few people today, I'm fairly confident it will be resolved."

Gatland praised the professionalism shown by his players in such a period of uncertainty.

He continued: "In fairness to the players, they've trained well amongst it all. There's been things going on but in training they've applied themselves well."

Wales are bottom of the table after losing to Ireland and Scotland at the start of Gatland's second spell as head coach.

Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2023 Six Nations with an ankle injury.

The Munster player, who has started his country's last 14 Tests, was forced off early in the second half of Saturday's 32-19 win over France in Dublin.

Beirne left the Aviva Stadium on crutches, and it was confirmed by Ireland on Thursday he is facing around three months out of action as the injury requires surgery.

"Tadhg Beirne will undergo surgery today on the ankle injury he sustained in Saturday's win over France," a statement from the Irish Rugby Football Union read.

"Unfortunately, Tadhg will be ruled out for up to 12 weeks."

Ulster skipper Iain Henderson replaced Beirne against France and is expected to start Ireland's next game away at Italy a week on Saturday.

Andy Farrell's side are level with Scotland on 10 points after two rounds of fixtures after claiming bonus-point victories against Wales and France.

After facing Italy at Stadio Olimpico, the world's top-ranked nation travel to Scotland and then host England in their final fixture.

England boss Steve Borthwick believes his team took "a couple of steps forward" with their hard-fought win over Italy at Twickenham on Sunday.

After losing at home to Scotland in the first round of the Six Nations, England began to make amends by grinding out a 31-14 victory over the Azzurri.

It means England preserved their 100 per cent record against Italy in the championship, with this a 24th successive win in the one-sided rivalry, and it allowed England to reflect on a positive week on the training pitch.

Borthwick, who celebrated on the pitch with his young son Chase after the game, is still getting to grips with his new task, having been appointed in December to replace Eddie Jones. The players are also still learning what the former Leicester Tigers head coach wants from them.

"I think we took some steps forward and that's an important thing to recognise," Borthwick said.

"But there's plenty of areas to improve upon. I think we left some chances out there we should have taken. Our ball speed could have been a bit quicker, and we conceded a couple [of tries] that we wouldn't want to do.

"So there's always things to work upon, but ultimately it was a couple of steps forward."

Borthwick said England's ruck speed could have been quicker but spoke positively in general, as England move on to preparations for a trip to face bottom side Wales on February 25.

England had tries from Jack Willis, Ollie Chessum, Jamie George and Henry Arundell, plus a penalty try.

Rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward, now working in the media, said the performance against Italy was "really workmanlike" in the first half, contending the team lost their shape after going to the interval with a 19-0 lead.

Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England captain who is also now a pundit, told ITV the performance was "miles off" what was seen on Saturday, when Ireland beat France in Dublin.

Dallaglio spoke of it being "a messy game", but he agreed there were "small steps forward" to offer cheer for England.

The current captain, Owen Farrell, took the same view, saying: "In terms of the performance, it felt better. I thought it was a step forward, as it would be a week on into our new journey.

"There's a lot to get better at, and we feel like there's loads more to go, but it's a step in the right direction.

"We're trying to look after each other, trying to build a togetherness on the pitch, fighting for each other for 80 minutes, and I think you've seen that for the past two games, and we were hopefully more on top of that this week."

Player of the match Ollie Lawrence spoke of both small steps and greater gains.

"We took a massive stride forward after last week," Lawrence said. "We're rebuilding as a team, and we're taking those small steps each week.

"The progression's getting there. We're nowhere near the finished product yet, but we're all believing in where we're going as a team. It just needs to get better and better, and we're pushing together."

England secured their first win of the Steve Borthwick era as Italy succumbed 31-14 to a performance of potent power at Twickenham.

After losing at home to Scotland in round one of the Six Nations, Borthwick's first game as head coach since replacing Eddie Jones, this time the men in white got it right.

It rarely set the pulses racing, but England produced an efficient display, giving themselves a foothold in the championship.

Flanker Jack Willis made a swift impact in his first Six Nations game for two years, scurrying through to score from a rolling maul in the 13th minute, with captain Owen Farrell adding the extras.

Italy lost narrowly at home against France last week, and victory over Australia in November showed they are an improving team.

England's superior strength served the hosts well though, and another opportunity arrived when Lorenzo Cannone was sin-binned. Two yards short of the Italy line, lock Ollie Chessum was fed a short pass by Ellis Genge and dived over for his first international try. Farrell slotted a simple conversion.

Scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet had a try disallowed in the 35th minute after a trip by Ollie Lawrence in the build-up. Yet England did not have to wait long before scoring again, another rolling maul allowing hooker Jamie George to drive over.

Italy, subdued before the break, began the second half more purposefully and Marco Riccioni reached out to dot down and get the Azzurri moving.

A touch of nastiness from Sebastian Negri, pressing his hand across the face of Farrell, showed Italy were ready to make the rest of the game uncomfortable for England.

Yet Italy replacement Simone Ferrari collapsed another threatening England rolling maul and conceded a penalty try, ostensibly ending prospects of a full-scale comeback from the visitors.

Alessandro Fusco danced through a static defence to cut the deficit to 26-14, but Alex Mitchell then fed Henry Arundell to score his first Six Nations try in the left corner and England were home and hosed.

Warren Gatland suggested he might need to get tough on his Wales players following their dismal Six Nations defeat to Scotland.

Wales suffered a second straight loss to start this year's Six Nations campaign as they went down 35-7 at Murrayfield.

It was Gatland's first defeat to Scotland in the tournament since 2001, when his Ireland team lost 32-10, having won all 10 of his previous matches against them as Wales head coach.

Gatland omitted experienced trio Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric out of his starting line-up for Saturday's meeting, yet despite some promising play either side of half-time, Wales lost for a 10th time in the space of 12 Tests, suffering their heaviest away defeat to Scotland in the process.

With the defeat following a 34-10 reverse on home soil to Ireland, Gatland hinted there will be no holding back as he and his coaches search for a turnaround ahead of hosting England on February 25.

He told BBC Sport: "We were okay in the first half and could have gone in ahead at half-time. Some of the things that affected us last week, our discipline, giving penalties away, and not being accurate, that was the most disappointing factor [again].

"We had six minutes in their 22, and have come away with bugger all, so we need to have a good hard look at ourselves – we need to get better, and probably be a bit tougher on the players.

"We were beaten by the better team today, congratulations to Scotland – I thought they played exceptionally well. Finn Russell was outstanding.

"Some of the young boys really stepped up and we were pleased with their performances."

Scotland, meanwhile, have started a Six Nations campaign with back-to-back victories for the first time.

The last time they won their opening two matches was back in 1996, when only five teams competed in the tournament, though Gregor Townsend sees plenty of scope for improvement if his side are to continue their run against reigning champions France.

"We'll be confident, winning really helps. We had a really good week where we weren't easy on the players as coaches, but the players weren't easy on themselves," he told BBC Sport.

"We had two tough physical sessions and there were areas we had to improve from Twickenham. The challenge only gets stronger.

"This display, while encouraging, will have to go up another level if we want to win in Paris."

George Turner went over in the first half for Scotland before he was sent to the sin-bin, with Ken Owens crossing for Wales while the hooker was off the pitch.

Wales should have scored a second try on the cusp of half-time, only for Rio Dyer to fumble an easy chance, and Scotland made them pay with four tries in the second half to secure an emphatic bonus-point win.

"It was [a complete performance] in the second half. The first half, we didn't get our game going," Townsend said.

"We didn't get through first two phases on enough occasions. Wales were competing hard at the breakdown, slowing our ball down or winning the ball back, but we did build a score which was pleasing.

"On the flip side, the second half we were getting the opportunities and they led to tries. That's an outstanding win for the group because Wales have been a top team for a number of years. To come away with any win is pleasing, one with a bonus point sets us up well."

Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie said "we have got a lot more in us" after Gregor Townsend's team routed Wales 35-7 at Murrayfield.

Wales were no match for their hosts in Edinburgh on Saturday, as Scotland cruised to a bonus-point win that sees them join Ireland at the top of the Six Nations standings.

George Turner went over in the first half but Ken Owens crossed for Wales, who should have gone into the interval on the back of a second try, only for Rio Dyer to squander a golden opportunity.

Scotland made Wales pay – Finn Russell combining twice with Kyle Steyn before Blair Kinghorn and Matt Fagerson drove through late on.

Their winning margin of 28 points marks Scotland's biggest victory over Wales in Test rugby, with the only other time they have beaten them by more than 20 points coming back in 1924.

Next up is a trip to reigning champions France on February 26, and Ritchie is hoping for more from his side at the Stade de France.

"It wasn't perfect but we did enough to get the job done," he told BBC Sport.

"We have belief that if we play to our best we can beat any team. It wasn't perfect today, we've got a lot more in us. We're looking to improve when we go to Paris, definitely."

Saturday's match marked the first Test at Murrayfield since the death of Doddie Weir, who passed away in November.

Scotland were presented the Doddie Weir Cup for their victory, and Ritchie said: "We're delighted and I'm glad to be holding Doddie's trophy.

"The first game here without him, we miss him so much, I'm just glad we have our hands on this. We're so delighted, I'm a bit all over the place at the moment – a bit emotional. I'm glad I could do this for [Weir's widow] Kathy and the boys."

Russell was the star of the show for Scotland, teeing up three of their tries and kicking 10 points.

He has now provided 10 try assists in nine Test matches for Scotland since the start of 2022, more than any other player from a Tier One nation in that period.

"I was just doing my job – making other boys look good," Russell joked after becoming the first Scotland player to register a hat-trick of assists in a Six Nations game.

"It showed the continuity in the squad. The boys were all on the same page and it allowed us to attack how we did today."

Scotland have won back-to-back games to start a Six Nations campaign for the first time, with the last time they had managed to triumph in their opening two games of the Championship coming in 1996, when it was the Five Nations.

Russell added: "Great game, great result for us. We knew we'd struggled before after the first games to back it up, and I think the boys put in a good performance today, which was great to have back here at Murrayfield."

Wales have lost their opening two games, conceding at least four tries in each match. It is the first time they have done so in back-to-back Six Nations Tests in the same year.

"When you're winning and you have that momentum, it's hard to lose. The flip side to that is the same," said captain Owens, with Wales having won just twice in their last 10 Tests.

"We've got to work hard next week. There's plenty of experience but plenty of youngsters coming through. There's new coaching staff, new players coming in, we just need to work hard.

"Turn the corner hopefully, against England, we've got to grind out a win, find a win and build that momentum. There are positives there. People are going to say there isn't but we believe in what we're trying to achieve, we work hard and try to deliver."

Scotland's winning start to the Six Nations continued as they swatted aside Wales 35-7 at Murrayfield.

Having lost to Wales in the second round in 2021 and 2022, Gregor Townsend's side had little trouble in ending that run on Saturday, despite the early loss of Stuart Hogg to a head injury.

Warren Gatland had won his previous 10 Six Nations matches against Scotland while in charge of Wales, and matters might have been different for the visitors had Rio Dyer finished a routine chance.

Scotland made their luck count, Kyle Steyn twice combining with Finn Russell, who claimed another assist as Matt Fagerson rounded off the scoring after Blair Kinghorn's superb try had sealed the bonus point.

A pair of Russell penalties put Scotland 6-0 up inside 15 minutes before George Turner bundled his way through – the game's first try awarded after a TMO check.

Turner made a costly error three minutes later, with the hooker sin-binned for a high lunge on George North, and Wales captain Ken Owens swiftly made his side's numerical advantage count, with Dan Biggar adding the extras.

Dyer looked sure to claim Wales' second try on the stroke of half-time, only to fumble with the line at his mercy.

Wales sustained the pressure after the restart, but Hogg's replacement Kinghorn relieved the stress on Scotland's line with a superb break, and the hosts soon restored their cushion – Russell brilliantly picking a gap before flicking a backhand to Steyn two yards out.

The Russell-Steyn combination was on song again before the hour, with the winger latching onto a pinpoint cross-field kick to dive over in the corner as Scotland capitalised on Liam Williams' booking.

Kinghorn capped off a sublime team move to ensure Scotland joined Ireland at the top of the standings, with Fagerson adding further gloss in the final minutes.

Ireland boss Andy Farrell hailed the "astonishing" attitude of his players after they halted France's winning run and stretched their own streak to a record 13 consecutive home victories.

France had won 14 on the bounce before arriving in Dublin, but they went down 32-19 at the Aviva Stadium, with the hosts bagging a bonus point after tries from Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter and Garry Ringrose.

It was a performance that showed why many made Ireland favourites for the title from the get-go, as they followed up victory over Wales last weekend with another impressive display.

They head the world rankings and showed that standing is merited, with Farrell delighted, albeit saying he felt Ireland should perhaps have won by a heavier margin. All the same, the 13-point cushion was the most Ireland have beaten France by in the championship since a 25-6 success in March 1975.

Farrell told ITV: "It was a huge game and rightly so it was billed that way, because it was two great teams going at it, with the French unbeaten record and us going for our home record.

"It all gets thrown into the pot, but at the end of the day it's a victory in the competition we want to do well at, and we'll look at that performance and be unbelievably proud of it.

"The fight and the spirit that we had was astonishing at times, especially in that last 10 minutes.

"Garry Ringrose's try, he was dead on his feet, and then Bundee Aki coming back and dropping on loose balls and James Ryan kept getting up off the floor and taking the ball in for us. I could keep going on."

Farrell added: "The fighting spirit was great, but at the same time I thought we played some good stuff in the first half and should have come away with a few more points, and maybe again in the second half we should have come away with a few more points.

"That's not being greedy, because we got a bonus point, so we've got to be very happy with that, but at the same time we left a few things out there.

"So we're onto the next one, and it's Italy away and the same points are up for grabs."

Farrell was delighted Ireland got to 13 wins in a row at home for the first time, and doing so against a France side he rates so highly was doubly pleasing.

It was his first win over France, who had beaten Ireland in their most recent three encounters, and Farrell said: "I'm sure there'll be many battles down the line as well."

Keenan got Ireland's opening try, bursting through a hole in the French defence, but it was Lowe's score that particularly caught the eye.

He dived over in the corner, with most of his body in touch, and replays appeared to indicate it was a legitimate score after TMO checks.

It was a moment of acrobatic brilliance at high speed. Subsequent angles appeared to hint Lowe may have grazed the grass outside the playing area with a boot, but the try stood.

"He's useful out on that wing, the big lump," said Keenan. "It's brilliant for him and a great team performance."

Delighted to see off Les Bleus, Keenan added: "It was a long time coming. We've had a few tough losses and learnt from those. It was the one we were focusing on, so it's brilliant we got there."

Ireland halted France's 14-match winning run with a thrilling 32-19 victory in Dublin as Andy Farrell's remarkable team made a big Six Nations statement.

It had been France's longest ever streak of victories, but last season's Grand Slam champions were outscored four tries to one at the Aviva Stadium, with Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter and Garry Ringrose going over for the hosts.

In a battle between the top two in the world rankings, Ireland showed why they are number one.

Despite conceding an early penalty, the men in green had threatened the try line before cleverly tearing a hole in the French defence to allow Keenan to dash through to score.

Captain Johnny Sexton added the extras, but Thomas Ramos booted his second penalty of the afternoon to trim Ireland's early lead.

France added an exquisite try to power ahead, with Damian Penaud collecting the ball inside his own 22, charging through midfield and feeding Anthony Jelonch, before accepting a return pass and sprinting through to score.

Ireland hit back, Lowe delivering what looked to be an astonishing finish in the left corner.

The diving Lowe dotted down with one hand on the ball and most of his body out of play. A TMO check ruled he was off the ground, with Penaud's attempt to bundle the wing into touch failing to prevent the try. Further replays cast doubt on whether it should have been awarded.

Sexton failed to convert, then France's Uini Atonio was sin-binned after an ugly and high barge into Rob Herring, who departed for a head injury assessment.

Ireland capitalised on their extra man, Porter marking his 50th cap by crashing in from close range, and Sexton gave Ireland a 19-13 lead. Ramos struck a long-range penalty to reduce the deficit, but three more from Sexton made it 22-16 at the break.

Ross Byrne, on for the injured Sexton, slotted a penalty in the 60th minute to extend Ireland's lead, but Ramos hit back with a drop goal.

The game was Ireland's when Ringrose bustled in down the left to score and secure the bonus point. Their championship and Grand Slam prospects are looking up, with two wins from two, while France must dust themselves off and recover from this jolting setback.

Ireland have brought in Rob Herring for injured hooker Dan Sheehan for Saturday's huge Six Nations clash with France, who named an unchanged line-up.

Sheehan started nine of Ireland's past 10 matches, but a hamstring injury sees him drop out for the match at the Aviva Stadium in a possible title and Grand Slam showdown.

Herring will deputise for Sheehan, while Conor Murray has been passed fit to continue his half-back partnership with captain Johnny Sexton, who was himself a fitness doubt.

"It's not nice for Dan," Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said on Thursday. "He's a fantastic player at the top of his game. Anyone would miss a player in that kind of form. 

"I sound like a broken record, but it's great because this is exactly what's going to happen down the track in the World Cup.

"International rugby is only going to get bigger and better so it's always going to be about the squad.

"When you get to the World Cup, you've a small squad. There's rightly a 12-day turnaround as far as concussions are concerned, so you're always going to be numbers down."

Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Furlong and Cian Healy all missed Ireland's opening 34-10 win over Wales and remain out of the matchday 23 to face France.

Ireland, who finished second to France in last year's tournament, are ranked number one in the world and have won 21 of their past 22 home games, including each of the past 12.

They host a France side on a 14-match winning run – their best ever streak – most recently overcoming Italy 29-24 in a tight contest last weekend.

Fabien Galthie has stuck with the same XV that started the game in Rome, meaning Romain Ntamack is retained at number 10, despite Matthieu Jalibert's impact from the bench.

Francois Cros returns to the replacements' bench as one of two changes, along with Baptiste Couilloud, with Thomas Lavault and Nolann Le Garrec dropping out.

"Firstly, we have gone with the same personnel due to the performance [against Italy], the victory with a bonus point, which meant they achieved their target," Galthie said.

"Coherence, too, as it is three weeks that we have worked with this group.

"And also confidence because we have confidence in our players who for three years have progressed together; that is why there are no surprises in the starting XV."

France have won each of their past three meetings with Ireland, this after winning just one of their previous nine Test encounters (D2 L6).

Warren Gatland has left experienced trio Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric out of Wales' starting line-up for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Scotland.

Wales were beaten 34-10 on home soil by Ireland in their tournament opener last weekend as Gatland's first game back in charge after replacing Wayne Pivac ended in defeat.

Gatland has rung the changes to his pack ahead of facing Scotland at Murrayfield, with British and Irish Lions veterans Jones, Faletau and Tipuric making way.

Jones and Tipuric have been left out of the matchday squad entirely, while Rhys Davies could make his Test debut from the replacements' bench.

Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza will make their first starts for Wales, who have also added Tommy Reffell to their back row.

"We created opportunities last week but weren't clinical enough in terms of finishing them off," said Gatland, who has won all 10 matches against Scotland as Wales head coach.

"We need to start better. We gave away stupid penalties and unforced penalties when we weren't really under a lot of pressure so that's been an area that we've spoken about."

Wales have won 13 of their past 15 matches against Scotland in the Six Nations (L2), including six of their seven matches at Murrayfield during that run (L1).

Scotland also named their 15-man team on Thursday, with Zander Fagerson returning to the front row in the only change from the 29-23 victory over England.

Fagerson, who missed the win at Twickenham having only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, replaces the benched WP Nel.

Last week's Calcutta Cup hero Duhan van der Merwe is joined in the back three by Kyle Steyn and Stuart Hogg, who continues at full-back.

Gregor Townsend has also named an unchanged bench, meaning no place in the squad for Hamish Watson, despite recovering from concussion.

Scotland have won their opening Six Nations fixture in each of the past three years, but they went on to lose to Wales in round two in both 2021 and 2022.

However, since beating Scotland in that most recent meeting 12 months ago, Wales have gone on to win just twice in 11 matches, losing their last three in a row.

Scotland XV: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson; Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Jamie Ritchie (c), Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, WP Nel, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.

Wales XV: Liam Williams; Josh Adams, George North, Joe Hawkins, Rio Dyer; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens (c), Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Christ Tshiunza, Tommy Reffell, Jac Morgan.

Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Rhys Carre, Leon Brown, Rhys Davies, Taulupe Faletau, Rhys Webb, Rhys Patchell, Alex Cuthbert.

Richard Cockerill will leave his role as England forwards coach after the Six Nations, while Richard Wigglesworth and Aled Walters will join Steve Borthwick's team.

Cockerill stepped in as Red Rose interim head coach after Eddie Jones was sacked in December and retained a role on Borthwick's staff following his appointment as the Australian's successor.

The 52-year-old will be on the move when the Six Nations concludes next month, though, after taking up an offer to become forwards coach of Top 14 side Montpellier.

Borthwick removed Matt Proudfoot and Martin Gleeson from their roles as assistants after he took charge as he started a shake-up, bringing Kevin Sinfield with him from Leicester Tigers.

The England head coach has returned to his former employers once again to recruit Wigglesworth and Walters.

Wigglesworth took over as head coach of the Tigers on a temporary basis following Borthwick's departure for the England job.

The former Red Rose fly-half will become an assistant coach under Borthwick at the end of the season, when Walters will take up his new position of head of strength and conditioning, 

Walters was part of the management team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup with South Africa and will attempt to help England lift the trophy in France this year.

Henry Slade and Henry Arundell have recovered from injury to be named as part of England's 36-player squad for Sunday's Six Nations showdown with Italy at Twickenham.

Exeter centre Slade was ruled out of England's 29-23 defeat to Scotland in the opening game of the Steve Borthwick era with a hip injury sustained on club duty.

However, the 29-year-old is now available for selection against Italy – who lost 29-24 to France in their opener – while London Irish wing Arundell is back from a foot problem.

England confirmed the news on Monday, while also announcing vice-captain Courtney Lawes is back at their Pennyhill Park base continuing his recovery from a calf issue.

Borthwick will trim his squad down to 23 players later in the week ahead of facing Italy as both sides look for their first victory of the campaign.

England squad:

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.

Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs.