Saracens’ Billy Vunipola will miss the rest of the Six Nations after the England number eight suffered an ankle ligament injury during the 13-10 victory against Ireland on Saturday.

The 21-year-old limped off in the first half of the win at Twickenham after he was tackled by Ireland’s Devin Toner.

Vunipola underwent a scan on Monday which revealed he had suffered ligament damage and he will miss the vital game against Wales on March 9.

“It is a blow as Billy has had a good Six Nations but he is young and will be back,” England head coach Stuart Lancaster told BBC Sport.

“The encouraging thing is we have got Ben Morgan and other back rows such as Matt Kvesic and Tom Johnson.”