England flanker Jack Willis has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup due to injury.
The 26-year-old suffered a neck injury during England's 71-0 win over Chile, a match which saw him play the full 80 minutes and score a try.
Willis has been dogged by fitness issues during his career and, while the latest problem is not thought to be a serious one, it will keep him out for the rest of the tournament in France.
England, who have already secured top spot in Pool D and a place in the quarter-finals with one group game to spare, are expected to call up a replacement for Willis by the start of next week.
"Jack unfortunately suffered an upper body injury in our Test match against Chile. He has been recovering and rehabbing, but unfortunately at this stage he's unable to be fit. What this means is that Jack has left the squad," head coach Steve Borthwick told reporters at a press conference.
"Jack has been an important member of this team. We're really disappointed for him and disappointed that he won't feature in the rest of this World Cup, but we anticipate he will be back on the field very soon.
"We anticipate the injury will just be a few weeks, but clearly with the timescales we operate in he will be replaced in the 33.
"He is naturally very, very disappointed. His return to being back on the field has already started - a determined man like that wants to be at his very best and getting stuck into the work that needs to be done."
Willis's brother Tom could replace him in Borthwick's squad, while the likes of Tom Pearson, Alex Dombrandt, Zach Mercer and Sam Underhill could also be considered.
England take on Samoa in their final Pool D match on Saturday, with George Ford and Owen Farrell being named at 10 and 12 for the match.
