A row has erupted between England and Exeter over winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's shoulder surgery and the availability of Rugby Football Union doctors.
Exeter head coach Rob Baxter suggested that Feyi-Waboso's procedure was delayed due to the lack of RFU doctors over the Christmas period, a claim that England boss Steve Borthwick rejected on Wednesday.
"You don't need me to tell you that if someone gets injured before Christmas and has only had an operation now, something has gone wrong somewhere in the process," Baxter said.
"It's something we have to find a better way to do in the future. The frustration is that if things had moved more swiftly in the first 10 or 11 days -- we had an operation booked for him about day 10, which would have made him fit now.
"My biggest frustration and England's was that it took a while for this process to get going because of the Christmas period. At that stage, England didn't really have any involvement.
"Initially there was not anyone available and that would be my argument -- the first person who should see Manny is the RFU. That would be my interpretation of what the PGP means."
On Wednesday, Borthwick denied those claims, saying that "player welfare" is a top priority.
"England medics in fact maintained regular communication with Exeter regarding Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, immediately after his injury, through the Christmas period and further into the new year," Borthwick told reporters.
"As you would expect, this is all documented. It would therefore be unfair to question their work ethic, or the level of care provided to the player.
"We would have loved to have had Manny with us during the Six Nations and we're eager to see him back on the field as soon possible.
"Player welfare is our top priority. England have a world-class medical team that cares deeply about the players they look after."
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