Ward-Smith was widely tipped to win his first cap in the tournament opener against Scotland at Twickenham after two seasons of dynamic back-row performances for his club in the Guinness Premiership.

But, 15 minutes into his final game before joining up with England, he was caught in a pile-up on his own line trying to protect the ball and suffered a dislocated right kneecap that may well end his season.

Even without Ward-Smith, Bristol managed to chisel out a scrappy win against the Saints - their first at Franklin's Gardens since November 2001 - by weathering an early storm and hitting back with two second-half scores.