England rugby captain Jonny Wilkinson is likely to miss the three November internationals because of an injury to his right arm.
"At the moment we have been told Jonny will be out for between four to six weeks but we will have to wait and see how he responds to treatment," England coach Andy Robinson told a news conference on Thursday.
"I discussed the problem with him last night and the most important thing is to make sure that he has time to recover properly."
Wilkinson, 25, who kicked the winning drop goal in last November's World Cup final win over Australia in Sydney, missed this year's Six Nations championships while recuperating from a shoulder operation. He was appointed as national captain this season.
The world champions meet Canada, Tri-nations champions South Africa and Australia next month.
England lost two tests to New Zealand and one to Australia in this year's off-season tour after finishing third in the Six Nations championship.