- George Furbank broke his arm while playing for Northampton in December
- He missed the Six Nations but returned to club rugby earlier this month
- He is still struggling with his arm and is now a doubt for the Lions tour
England full-back George Furbank will miss Northampton’s crunch Investec Champions Cup semi-final with Leinster and is a doubt for this summer’s Lions tour due to an arm issue.
Furbank missed the 2025 Six Nations after breaking his arm on European club duty in South Africa in December.
He made his return against Castres on April 12, coming off the bench after just three minutes before then being replaced in the second half of the same game.
The 28-year-old’s status as England No 1 in his position means he will be a big miss for Northampton at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Furbank is yet to be ruled out of the summer’s Lions trip or England’s summer matches with Argentina and USA, if selected.
‘George won’t play this weekend. He’s struggling to get over that arm break and getting back into contact is hard for him,’ said Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson.
George Furbank (second left) missed the Six Nations and is still struggling with an arm injury
He returned to action for Northampton earlier this month but will miss this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final with Leinster
Furbank is now a doubt to play for Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions this summer
‘He keeps getting whacked and it’s going numb. It’s very painful. I don’t think that’s unusual for an arm that’s been plated.
‘He’s clearly desperate to get back in, particularly for a game like this. But unfortunately, it’s too soon. He’s not a soft lad, but it’s clearly very painful and worst case we don’t want to make it any worse. We’re trying to manage that conservatively with the stresses of time running out as well.’
Furbank is a potential Lion at No 15, with Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn the front runner in that position. Ireland’s Hugo Keenan is another option.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell names his squad for the tour of Australia on May 8.
Pressed if he thought Furbank would be a candidate for that trip, Dowson said: ‘It’s week by week. I couldn’t tell you what’s going to happen. I’ve asked the physio about 485 times if he can play and the physio has said no every time. I’ll ask again next week.’
While focusing on European action, Dowson also had his say on the future of the Gallagher Premiership.
Talks have begun to make English rugby’s top-flight a 10-team franchise league in a move that would bring an end to promotion and relegation.
‘My concern about rugby isn’t necessarily on the competitive nature of it and the relegation and promotion,’ Dowson said.
Furbank played in the quarter-final against Castres, but will not be available this weekend
Northampton’s director of rugby Phil Dowson (pictured) has admitted he’s concerned about the financial situation that clubs are currently finding themselves in
‘It’s more the financial stability of the clubs and the unions. Our chief executive told me when he was leaving last year we’d lost £1.7million.
‘He said: “That’s good. We were forecast to lose £2.7m.” Rugby is nuts. That’s what frightens me.
‘We’ve got to start thinking about the financial implications of relegation. It puts people off. My concern would be around the long-term financial viability of the game.
‘It would be great if you could get to that point. But in the short term, we’re putting fingers in holes at the moment and trying to make ends meet. It worries me.’
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England star facing race against time to be fit for this summer’s Lions tour of Australia after suffering setback in recovery from a broken arm