England full-back Ben Foden to under go ankle surgery which rules him out of autumn internationals But we have a number of back three players who are playing well and this offers a chance for them. Two of Foden's last three appearances came on the wing in South Africa as Lancaster looked to counter the Springboks' kicking game with two specialist full-backs. Brown started the first Test defeat before being ruled out of the tour with a broken hand, opening the way for Goode to make his full debut in the drawn third Test in Port Elizabeth. If Foden is sidelined for 12 weeks, he could also miss the first four of Northampton's Heineken Cup group matches against Glasgow, Castres and the back-to-back fixtures with Ulster. "Ben had been playing well at the start of this season and to lose him to injury is obviously disappointing," said Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder. But we know that he is a dedicated professional and will work his hardest with our performance team to come back as a better and fitter player. In the meantime Ben's injury will give opportunities for the other back three players like James Wilson, Scott Armstrong and Noah Cato to show what they can do in the Saints first team.