Bath and England prop Will Stuart faces 'long road ahead' with 'gutting' Achilles injury, reportedly to miss Six Nations
Published 10/12/2025 at 20:03 GMT
England will be without Will Stuart for next year's Six Nations Championship, after the prop was ruled out for an indefinite period of time with a ruptured Achilles tendon. ESPN reports the prop will be out for the remainder of the season in a major blow to Bath, who are looking to back up last year's historic treble. Stuart picked up the problem against Munster in the Champions Cup.
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England's Will Stuart faces a "long road ahead" after it was confirmed that he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
The prop was forced off during Bath's Investec Champions Cup victory against Munster on Saturday.
His side went on to win the game 40-14, meaning they sit top of Pool 2 after one round of fixtures.
But the injury to Stuart soured the occasion, as he was withdrawn early on in the second half.
By full-time, even if the exact extent of the injury was not known, Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan knew the injury was a bad one.
And he has now confirmed the severity of the issue, as he told BBC Sport: "He'll get operated on somewhere in the next few weeks and unfortunately with an Achilles there's a long road ahead.
"Every injury is different, but for a prop, just think about the amount of load that goes through your legs."
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Stuart had been enjoying a strong 2025, winning three caps on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia between June and August.
On top of that, he took his tally of England appearances to 53 over the autumn by featuring in the wins over Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
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But ESPN reports this setback means he is certain to miss the Six Nations, which gets underway in February.
England are due to host Wales in their opening game on February 7, and head coach Steve Borthwick will now have to reconsider his plans.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the game," Van Graan continued. "But once it's an Achilles or an ACL or a neck - big injuries that take people away from the game for a long time - that's never nice to see."
The injury is also a huge blow for Bath, with whom Stuart enjoyed great success last season.
The club lifted the treble in 2024/25, thanks to success in the Gallagher PREM, PREM Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup. Repeating that historic campaign becomes all the more difficult without the 30-year-old.
Bath are top of the Premiership table, three points clear of Exeter Chiefs after six rounds.
And Van Graan is devastated that Stuart will not be part of the charge for the title.
"Gutting really, he's such a big part of what we do and what we've achieved," he continued.
"The positive out of that is he's got an amazing group of staff and players and family around him and we'll go through that journey with him every step of the way."
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