Gareth Widdop: England stand-off ruled out of Samoa Test through injury

St George Illawarra and England stand-off Gareth Widdop left the field injured in defeat by Sydney Roosters on Tuesday

England's Gareth Widdop will miss the mid-season Test match against Samoa after he was ruled out for six weeks with knee ligament damage.

The stand-off suffered the injury to his left knee playing for NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons during their defeat by Sydney Roosters on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old had been named in coach Wayne Bennett's 20-man squad on Monday for the game in Sydney on 6 May.

Scans showed "significant damage to the medial collateral ligament".

"For the next two weeks he will be in a brace," added St George Illawarra's head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth.

"After those two weeks, we'll have a good indication of his return-to-play time frame but hopefully it will be somewhere around the six-week mark."