Asher Opoku-Fordjour out of Six Nations and requires surgery on shoulder injury in 'real shocker' for England
By Ben Southby
Published 15/01/2026 at 21:57 GMT
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England have been dealt another injury blow ahead of the Six Nations, as 21-year-old prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. The young star will undergo surgery on Friday and will be sidelined for the entirety of the Six Nations campaign, likely missing "the next couple of months" of action. England get their Six Nations series under way against Wales on February 7.
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England have suffered another injury setback with Asher Opoku-Fordjour ruled out of the upcoming Six Nations campaign.
The Sale Sharks prop requires surgery on a shoulder injury he picked up in training this week, having not played since November, following a lengthy issue with his elbow.
He is expected to be sidelined for "the next couple of months", with Steve Borthwick's side starting their Six Nations campaign against Wales on February 7.
"He will have surgery tomorrow [Friday] in Cardiff which essentially will put him out for the next couple of months," Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson explained.
"It is a real shocker for him, for us and for England."
Opoku-Fordjour, 21, has racked up six appearances for England and played in wins against Fiji and Argentina this autumn.
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"It takes a special kind of person to take on the psychological load of playing international rugby at tighthead at 19 or 20 years old anyway," Sanderson added. "He already has that ability to handle, to reframe, to carry.
"Some people could go down rabbit holes, but he doesn't. He just gets on with it. He is probably already looking ahead to how strong and fit and physical he is going to be when he comes back. That is the kind of character he is."
England have been rocked by injuries ahead of the Six Nations and are sparse at tighthead, with Will Stuart already ruled out with a serious Achilles injury.
Gloucester's Afolabi Fasogbon was part of the squad which won the U20 Rugby World Cup alongside Opoku-Fordjour in 2024 and is among the contenders to replace him.
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As well as Fasogbo, Northampton Saints veteran Trevor Davison, 33, is also an option.
After playing Wales on February 7 at Twickenham, England travel to Murrayfield a week later to face Scotland.
Then comes a home match against Ireland on February 21, before playing Italy at Stadio Olimpico on March 7 and wrapping up the campaign against France in Paris on March 14.
Opoku-Fordjour has featured in six of Sale's nine Gallagher PREM matches this season and two of the club's three wins, in what has been a tough start to the season for Sanderson's team.
He played in early wins against Gloucester and Newcastle, while enduring losses against Bath, Saracens, Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs.
Sale are seventh in the division on 19 points - already 19 points behind leaders Northampton and 14 points off fourth-placed Bristol Bears.
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