England lock Courtney Lawes to miss start of Six Nations with ankle injury

England lock Courtney Lawes will miss the first few weeks of the Six Nations championship after undergoing ankle surgery.

Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder confirmed the player will have an operation on the injury on Monday.

Mallinder said Lawes is set to miss "the first few weeks" of the Six Nations, which means he is likely to be absent for the opening games against Wales and Italy on February 6 and 14.

England are already without Wasps lock Joe Launchbury for the whole tournament as he continues his recovery from neck surgery.

Mallinder, speaking after Northampton's 20-9 European Champions Cup victory over the Ospreys in Swansea, said Lawes suffered the injury during Saints' Aviva Premiership clash against Leicester just before Christmas.

He has not played since that game, and now the full extent of his injury has been confirmed.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster is due to name his Six Nations squad on Wednesday, with the second-row partnership against Millennium Stadium hosts Wales now set to be be two from Dave Attwood, George Kruis and Geoff Parling.

"Courtney, unfortunately, has not recovered from his ankle injury," Mallinder said. "He will be going in for a little operation on Monday.

"He has got a little bit of bone that he just needs clearing out, so he is going to miss the first few weeks of the Six Nations, as well as missing next week (when Northampton face Racing Metro in the pool decider).

"It is just a little bit of bone that chipped off in the Leicester game. He would be expected to get back (playing) while the Six Nations is still going on.

"It is a blow for us because we haven't got him for next week, and it is a blow for him and England because he is a key player."

Lawes, 25, has won 36 caps and become a mainstay of the England set-up. His absence against Wales, especially, is likely to be keenly felt.