Owen Farrell could face a race against time to be fit for England’s Autumn Nations Series opener against Argentina.
The Saracens captain went off midway through the second-half of his team’s 22-20 Gallagher Premiership victory over Exeter at Sandy Park.
He took a knee to his head in an accidental blow, giving England head coach Eddie Jones an anxious wait on his fly-half ahead of the Pumas’ Twickenham visit on November 6.
Exeter and England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, meanwhile, suffered a knee injury and did not appear for the second period, handing Jones a potential headache as Saracens’ Jamie George is already out of the autumn Tests because of a foot injury.
England face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on successive November weekends.
On Farrell, Saracens rugby director Mark McCall said: “He is with the doctors now.
“But obviously, he went off for an HIA (head injury assessment) and normal procedure is a 12-day stand down, but hopefully it will allow him enough time to play in the first Tests.”
England’s autumn squad head to Jersey on Monday for a training camp, although Farrell, who has won 97 caps during a 10-year Test career, could now be a doubt to make that trip.
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Some of the best bits from today’s clash against @Saracens at @SandyParkExeter #EXEvSAR pic.twitter.com/2EDUrd9KWL
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) October 22, 2022
McCall added: “I guess it will depend if he is feeling okay. I am sure Eddie would be keen to get him there.”
Reflecting on Cowan-Dickie’s early exit, Exeter head coach Ali Hepher said: “It’s his knee. He couldn’t carry on, but we are not sure of the extent yet. We will have to assess.”
Alex Goode fired leaders Saracens to a sixth successive Premiership victory as his penalty with the game’s final kick edged out Exeter.
Chiefs centre Henry Slade looked to have responded to his omission from England’s autumn squad by kicking a decisive penalty four minutes from time.
But Goode, on as a replacement for Farrell and making a record-equalling 338th Saracens first team appearance, came up trumps with the clock in the red.
But Saracens largely kept their composure on a testing afternoon as flanker Theo McFarland scored a first-half try, while Farrell converted and kicked two penalties, with full-back Elliot Daly adding two long-range strikes and Goode a late clincher.
Exeter had their moments, but not enough of them, to disrupt Saracens’ well-oiled machine, ensuring a tense finish after number eight Jacques Vermeuelen’s 71st-minute try that centre Slade converted, following an early penalty and the penalty try.
McCall said: “It was two really good sides scrapping it out, fighting it out. Whether we deserved to win I am not sure, but we showed some great fighting qualities.
On Goode’s match-winner, McCall added: “I think it might have been his first kick of the season. It tells you a lot about Alex Goode that he was prepared to take the responsibility on his shoulders.”
It was Exeter’s second Premiership defeat of the season and they are 14 points behind pace-setters Saracens.
But Hepher said: “We were in the fight. These games come down to tight margins and we’ve got to get more clinical.
“We are in the right space mentally and we’ve everything to work with. We came up a little bit short today.”
