ENGLAND NUMBER EIGHT Billy Vunipola will miss the final two matches of this season’s Six Nations.

The 21-year-old Saracen suffered an ankle injury when tackled by Devin Toner in the first half of the Saturday’s 13 – 10 win over Ireland at Twickenham.

Vunipola, whose brother Mako also featured in the win, underwent a scan this morning and the results have revealed ligament damage.

The injury means that Stuart Lancaster will be without the powerful ball-carrier for their Triple Crown bid against Wales on March 9 as well as the trip to Rome on the final day.

Against Ireland, Ben Morgan came off the bench to help his side turn a 3 – 0 lead into a 13 – 10 win and the Gloucester man is the front-runner to again fill the number eight shirt for the remainder of the Championship.

No exact time-frame has been suggested for Vunipola’s return to fitness, so it is unclear if he will return in time (or, in good time for) Saracens’ Heineken Cup quarter-final trip to Ulster in early April.

Here’s how the English media reacted to Ireland’s defeat in Twickenham

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