Exeter’s England forward Ethan Roots will be out for up to six weeks after suffering a calf injury.
The 28-year-old back-row tore a muscle in training ahead of the Prem Cup semi-final win over Northampton earlier this month.
He missed last week’s 66-14 drubbing at Leicester in the final and will now be out until the start of May.
It means he will miss Prem fixtures against Sale, Newcastle, Northampton and Gloucester and the European Challenge Cup knockout game with Munster.
Scans have shown Roots – who played for England A last month and won the last of his four full England caps two years ago – will not need to undergo surgery on the injury, which would have led to his season being over.
Meanwhile Exeter have been boosted by the news that Australia’s Tom Hooper and prop Scott Sio are fit and available after periods on the sidelines.
