England lock George Kruis has been ruled out of the opening Six Nations match against France due to a knee injury.

The 26-year-old Kruis, who has played 20 internationals, sustained ligament damage and will undergo further assessment on Thursday.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the specialist’s prognosis is, but we’re not ruling him out of the Six Nations at this stage,” England coach Eddie Jones said on Wednesday.

Jones will name his team on Thursday. Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes are likely to form England’s second-row partnership against the French at Twickenham on Saturday.