As head coach Steve Borthwick prepares to release a 36-man squad, England are still waiting for news on key availability. The Fall Nations series is next month.
His first-choice scrum-half, Alex Mitchell, looks likely to be out for several more weeks, while the latter's Northampton team-mate Fraser Dingwall aggravated a knee problem during England training last week and will also miss his club's game against Sale on Friday night.
Borthwick has had some good news from Sale that George Ford should be back on the training ground next week and that Tom Curry is fit and very fit ahead of the national side's warm-weather camp in Spain. However, Bill Dowson, Northampton's director of rugby, says there is no firm date for Mitchell's return to action from a neck injury.
“He's had an injection and we're waiting to see how effective it is,” said Dowson. “There are a lot of questions around that. People are reluctant to do anything too invasive, so a conservative approach is the best approach. Unfortunately, that's one that doesn't have a deadline, so we're sitting on our hands to see how he does.
“He is making progress, but he is making progress very slowly. It's about how we can accelerate that process without risking the long-term perspective. I could not see [the injury] Will return in short order. He's a bit frustrated, but we want to make sure we're doing the right thing by him.
Dingwall, a contender for England's starting midfield, has been struggling with a knee problem for a few weeks, while Alex Coles, third in the national reckoning, is recovering from a rib injury. Sale's director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, issued a positive update on Ford and Curry, who have both suffered early season injuries.
Ford, 31, tweaked a quad muscle against Saracens last month and has spent more time in the Sharks training box than on the field in recent weeks. However, Sanderson estimates Ford is 10 days away from playing again, meaning the fly-half will not have any competitive rugby for a month when he selects the England squad to face New Zealand on November 2.
Curry, however, topped the Sharks' tackle tally in last week's win over Newcastle and will be keen to get stuck in again against Northampton. Sanderson said: “Tom Curry is back! He seems to be in a very good mood. I was talking to Tom and he said to me: 'I felt like I was 18 again.' We are working on getting him released and I feel like we are getting there.
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Meanwhile, injured Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has confirmed he will sit out his country's entire autumn schedule but is aiming to return to his club Exeter before Christmas. Jenkins says he opposes proposals to introduce a 20-minute red card instead of a permanent sanction when players are sent off for dangerous or reckless head contact.
“The only way I can see it is that it devalues the red card,” Jenkins said. “I think we're trying to change rugby a lot. There is no point in changing things that do not need to be changed.”
