Jack Nowell has suffered a fresh World Cup blow after being rushed to hospital in Italy to have his appendix removed.
The Exeter star spent four nights in hospital after requiring the procedure just hours after England returned to Treviso to finalise their tournament preparations.
It is another major blow for the winger come fullback who has been sidelined since requiring ankle surgery after the Premiership final in May.
“Jack was sick,” defence coach John Mitchell revealed. “He had appendicitis and came out of hospital yesterday, so he returned to us last night.
“It's a sickness that you can't deal with too much and you lose a bit of weight, but we back Jack.
“It's about being supportive and making sure he gets healthy. His general ankle progression is in line with where he needs to be.”
Nowell will miss England’s final warm-up match, against Italy in Newcastle on Friday - meaning he has taken no part in any of the four games arranged by Eddie Jones.
And coming just days after Chiefs boss Rob Baxter said it was “touch and go” whether he would play in the World Cup, it is a setback the flamboyant strike weapon could well do without.
