England and Exeter Chiefs winger Claudia MacDonald ruled out of Women’s Six Nations with neck injury

Updated 08/03/2024 at 20:12 GMT

England winger Claudia MacDonald has been ruled out of the Women’s Six Nations after suffering a neck injury while playing for Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby team Exeter Chiefs. MacDonald, who has scored 16 tries in 32 appearances for the Red Roses, will see a specialist but does not have a set timeframe for her recovery. She also missed the 2022 Six Nations with a neck injury.

Claudia Macdonald of England charges forward during the WXV1 match between England and Canada at Forsyth Barr Stadium on October 27, 2023 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Image credit: Getty Images

England’s Claudia MacDonald has been ruled out of the Women’s Six Nations with a neck injury.

The winger suffered the injury while playing for Exeter Chiefs in a Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby match against Harlequins last month.

It is believed to be a different issue to the neck injury which sidelined MacDonald during the 2022 Women’s Six Nations.

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She is now set to see a specialist, but an RFU spokesperson said there was currently "no timeframe" for the recovery process.

England head coach John Mitchell is set to name his official squad for the Women’s Six Nations on Monday, having already selected a training squad for a camp at the start of the month.

The Red Roses will start the tournament with a match against Italy on March 24. They are seeking their sixth successive title, having completed a Grand Slam at every edition since 2019.

Claudia Macdonald of England charges forward during the WXV1 match between England and Canada at Forsyth Barr Stadium on October 27, 2023 in Dunedin, New Zealand

Image credit: Getty Images

MacDonald’s absence from the squad will still be a blow, with the 28-year-old scoring 16 tries in 32 appearances for England so far.

She will also be missed at Exeter, who are currently third in the Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby table.

MacDonald’s was Exeter’s big-name signing at the start of the 2022-23 season, and has since scored 20 tries in 22 appearances.

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