Eddie Jones to learn if England trio Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler and Nathan Hughes will miss autumn Tests

England head coach Eddie Jones faces an anxious to discover whether captain Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler and Nathan Hughes can be named in Thursday’s squad for the autumn Tests against Argentina, Australia and Samoa.

All three face possible citings after the weekend’s European Champions Cup matches in which Hartley’s Northampton beat 24-7 by Clermont Auvergne and Hughes delivered a big display as Wasps hammered Marler and his Harlequins team-mates 41-10 at the Ricoh Arena.

Hartley was yellow-carded for a swinging arm, while prop Marler was given 10 minutes in the sin bin for appearing to drop his forearm onto Wasps lock Will Rowlands and Hughes could be cited for a swinging arm he aimed at Marcus Smith.

Any citings have to be made within 50 hours of kick-off.

If No8 Hughes is suspended, it will leave England short of back-row options, with Quins Jack Clifford still unable to play following a shoulder injury.

Hartley appeared harshly treated with a yellow for his ruck clear-out that saw him in contact with the head of Rabah Slimani, the Clermont Auvergne prop.

Another ban for Hartley would open the way for Saracens’ Jamie George to start his first game for England and mean the captaincy going to either Owen Farrell, who Jones is understood to want to rest at some point in the autumn Tests, or Mike Brown, the Quins full-back.

To complicate matters for Jones, Quins wing Marland Yarde missed the Wasps game after being disciplined by the club. It is understood he was late for training.

Jones, who was at the Ricoh Arena to see Hughes in the kind of form to make him the obvious choice to replace the injured Billy Vunipola at No8, is expected to include Yarde in the squad following the cheekbone injury suffered by wing Jack Nowell.

Marler appears in most danger of a citing. John Kingston, the Quins director of rugby, was today studying the match video and waiting for an injury update on centre Francis Saili, who was concussed late in the game at Wasps.

“It did look as if there was a skirmish but I have not yet seen the incident properly,” said Kingston.