England's Stuart out with 'gutting' long-term injury

Will Stuart has sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon which will leave the Bath and England prop with a "long road ahead" to full fitness.

Stuart went off early in the second half of Bath's Champions Cup victory against Munster on Saturday and the injury was described as "very serious".

"He'll get operated on somewhere in the next few weeks and unfortunately with an Achilles there's a long road ahead," Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Somerset.

"Every injury is different, but for a prop just think about the amount of load that goes through your legs."

The 29-year-old tighthead came off the bench during England's autumn wins against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina and is one of England's 25 players on Elite Player contracts for the 2025-26 season.

In total he has 53 caps and was also called up to the British and Irish Lions squad this summer for the first time, playing in all three Test matches during the series victory in Australia.

For his club, he was a key component in Bath's success in winning the Prem last season and has made five appearances this campaign in all competitions.

Van Graan said the injury was "gutting" for Stuart.

"Injuries are part and parcel of the game but once it's an Achilles or an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] or a neck - big injuries that take people away from the game for a long time - that's never nice to see," he said.

"Gutting really, he's such a big part of what we do and what we've achieved. 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."

Bath return to Champions Cup action on Sunday away at French side Toulon.

Flanker Guy Pepper, who also went off against Munster, is set to miss the next few weeks with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, winger Will Muir has also seen his return further delayed because of a calf injury.

Muir is yet to feature this campaign and was available for selection last week before picking up the new issue.

"He'll be out for an additional few weeks, which is frustrating for him but hopefully we'll have him on the field soon," Van Graan added.

On the positive side, England centre Ollie Lawrence - who himself missed much of 2025 with a ruptured Achilles tendon - is back in full training along with number eight Alfie Barbeary.