Dan Kelly injury deepens England’s crisis at centre as Scotland match nears

Dan Kelly runs with the ball during an England training session before he was ruled out of the opening Six Nations match. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

England’s injury crisis at centre has worsened before their Six Nations opener on Saturday with Dan Kelly the latest to be ruled out, raising the prospect of a Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell 10-12 axis against Scotland.

Kelly has been ruled out with a thigh injury, joining fellow centres Elliot Daly and Henry Slade on the sidelines, and leaving Farrell as one of few options for Steve Borthwick at inside-centre. Guy Porter has been summoned into camp while Manu Tuilagi, Joe Marchant and Ollie Lawrence are alternatives but with his midfield options dwindling, Borthwick will now surely be tempted to deploy Farrell at inside-centre to bolster such a key area of the field.