England are expected to be without props Dan Cole and Mako Vunipola for the November internationals.

Cole, who has not played since the opening two matches of the 2014 Six Nations, is not likely to feature again for another 12 weeks following surgery on his neck.

"We will give him as much time as he needs," Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill is quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "The disc was replaced. It is a metal disc, with a plate and a ball-and-socket joint inside. Dan needs the bone to graft around that.

"He has not been able to do anything at all post-surgery for three months. Now he can do some running, some light weights, and gradually build himself back up. Stuart Lancaster has been very sensible about it.

"We will manage Dan as the medics see fit. What is important is that everything is done right and he is good to go, rather than have him come back early and have issues with it."

Meanwhile, Vunipola has yet to recover from surgery on his knee, with Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall saying that there is "no chance" he will be fit in time to feature in the friendlies.

England face New Zealand, South Africa, Samoa and Australia at Twickenham.