On Saturday whilst captaining England to victory over the New Zealand Barbarians, Saracens' Richard Hill sustained a cut to his face - which required 13 stitches - and a broken nose in separate incidents.

Richard returned to his club on Monday to be examined by the Saracens Medical Team to determine whether or not he would be available for the club's important home fixture against Zurich Premiership leaders Bath at Vicarage Road on Saturday 27th December.

After being referred to a specialist in London later that evening, Richard has been withdrawn from selection for the game, although the true extent of his injuries will not be known for a few days due to excessive swelling around his face.

"The doctor told me that if I was to play on Saturday and suffered a further blow it could cause permanent damage," explained Richard this morning. "He advised me not to play this weekend which I am obviously bitterly disappointed about as it is a big game for the club and I was desperate to be involved."