Dickson hands England hope

Lee Dickson (centre)

Published: 1:17pm, 6th February 2012
Updated: 11:09am, 7th February 2012

England scrum-half Lee Dickson could yet participate in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy.

Dickson broke a bone in his left hand during the 13-6 victory over Scotland and was expected to miss the trip to Rome, but his recovery has been rapid.

"Lee saw a specialist last night (Sunday) and we're very optimistic of his chances of being available this weekend," said interim head coach Stuart Lancaster

England's scrum-half options have dwindled with Richard Wigglesworth injured and Danny Care serving a suspension following his arrest for drink driving. Dickson's elder brother Karl, Care's understudy at Harlequins who on Sunday made his first club start since mid-November, was called up as cover.

"Having had a disappointing afternoon with Lee and sent him away feeling sorry for himself, the news later on in the evening was very positive," added Lancaster.

"We'll review him today and see if he's fit to train tomorrow. We hope he will be. The specialist is confident that he should be available for the weekend."

Lancaster revealed that prop David Wilson sustained a suspected broken jaw in Bath's 31-3 victory over Exeter on Sunday and is undergoing an x-ray.

"We're waiting for the results on that before we call in a replacement. We already have four props for training for the next 48 hours," said Lancaster.

England will train at an indoor football academy by the O2 Arena on Tuesday if the pitch at their Pennyhill Park base fails to defrost.

Meanwhile, the Rugby Football Union have an announced a four-year extension of their partnership with O2. The agreement continues O2's presence on senior England, Saxons and women's team kit.