Damian Hopley says England injury crisis is part of a cycle and should ease next year

Rugby Players' Association chief executive Damian Hopley says the current problems facing England do not indicate a trend towards a higher rate of injuries in general.

Alex Corbisiero, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Mako Vunipola, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi have been ruled out of the entire QBE Series this autumn.

Injury updates on Billy Vunipola, Joe Marler, David Wilson and Luther Burrell are expected on Tuesday, with Burrell likely to miss at least the opener against New Zealand on Saturday week.

But Hopley says the lengthy injury list is merely part of a cycle and believes it may even aid England's World Cup campaign next year.

"Dare I say it, but it's a cycle. If these players are not coming back to fitness by the Six Nations then it becomes an issue," Hopley said.

"What it does do is give an opportunity to other players to stake a claim.

"It's a really unfortunate situation that so many high profile players are injured at the same time, but I don't think it's a crisis.

"It's just part of the cycle of the year and it might be a blessing in disguise for the World Cup, giving players more time off to ensure they're in great nick for that."

The RPA has appointed Northampton's Christian Day as chairman and Chris Bell of Wasps as vice-chairman.