Sam Simmonds will be forced to sit on the sidelines until well into 2019 after suffering a serious knee injury.
Toby Flood's yellow card proved to be costly as Exeter Chiefs made it four Premiership wins out of four.
Exeter Chiefs number eight Sam Simmonds is the Premiership's top performer, according to Opta.
England have received a boost with Elliot Daly, Sam Simmonds and Kyle Sinckler all in the squad to prepare for the clash with France.