Ollie Lawrence was last night thrust into the void left by Manu Tuilagi - and backed to offer England the midfield ‘X-factor” they crave.
Ahead of the six-match autumn campaign, Eddie Jones is auditioning for a replacement for Tuilagi, ruled out for six months with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Worcester star Lawrence is only 21 but Warriors boss Alan Solomons said: “Ollie has tremendous ability. His genetics are outstanding and give him a real point of difference. “He is very strong physically and has got fantastic feet.
He has that little bit of special X-factor about him.” The Birmingham-born centre has started only 10 Premiership games and Solomons acknowledges that, even without Tuilagi, England are not short of options.
Read more on mirror.co.uk