- Jamie George was replaced by Maro Itoje as England's new captain last week.
- George has now been forced to withdraw from England's Six Nations squad.
- George, who suffered a hamstring injury, is one of five players who dropped out
Jamie George is one of five players who have been forced to withdraw from England's Six Nations squad, a week after being removed as captain, while the stoppage prompted a call-up for Northampton wonderkid Henry Pollock .
George was informed that he was to be replaced by Maro Itoje as captain of the national team, the day before head coach Steve Borthwick named a 36-man squad to prepare for the upcoming Six Nations campaign.
The hooker then limped off at the end of Saracens' Champions Cup defeat against Castres with a hamstring injury and, after undergoing a scan on the injured area, has been ruled out.
England have been hit by fresh setbacks as they prepare to begin their training camp in Girona, northern Spain.
As well as the loss of George, Borthwick has been hit by injuries to scrum-half Alex Mitchell and Jack van Poortvliet, number 8 Alex Dombrandt and lock Alex Coles.
George's place has been taken by Northampton's Curtis Langdon, due reward for the club's excellent form, while Bath's Ben Spencer and Sale's Raffi Quirke have returned as pedigree scrum-half reinforcements.
Jamie George is one of five players who have been forced to withdraw from England's Six Nations squad due to injury, a week after the 34-year-old was removed as captain.
George limped out of Saracens' Champions Cup defeat to Castres with a hamstring problem
Injury problems deal a blow to Steve Borthwick in the build-up to the Six Nations.
Gloucester lock Arthur Clark, who represented England 'A' in November, has also been called up, but the call-up for Pollock is the most notable development. The Saints flanker, who has just turned 20, has taken club football by storm after being part of the England under-20 team that won the youth World Cup last year. He is considered one of the brightest and most game-changing prospects in the country and was unlucky to be cut from the original team.
Dombrandt's withdrawal raises the prospect that Saracens' sweeping No.8 Tom Willis could earn a matchday 23 place for the championship opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 1.
And now entering camp, Pollock has the chance to follow age-group teammate Asher Opoku-Fordjour in being fast-tracked to senior caps.
At Hooker, in George's absence, Luke Cowan-Dickie's form and experience means Sale's Lion is the man most likely to fill the void left by the recent former captain's retirement, with Theo Dan the other leading contender.
If Mitchell were not available to face the Irish it would be a huge blow for Borthwick and England, but he is traveling to Spain to continue his rehabilitation and the hope is that he will be cleared for full training next week, with a view to playing in Dublin.