England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the entire Nations Championship after suffering his fourth hamstring injury of the year. The Northampton pivot limped out of his club’s Premiership game against Gloucester last Saturday, and England have now confirmed he will play no part in this month’s fixtures.
Alex Mitchell (Credits: BBC Sport)
Mitchell will miss England’s matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand this month — a major blow for head coach Steve Borthwick, who had already seen Mitchell withdraw in the first half of Northampton’s 28-14 victory over the Cherry and Whites.
England Scrum-Half Options After Alex Mitchell Injury
The 29-year-old had already picked up three hamstring injuries through 2026, and now faces a prolonged spell out for club and country. Bath’s Ben Spencer and Bristol Bears’ Harry Randall were called in as scrum-half cover on Monday, with Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet — who started all three of England’s summer Tests — the likely first-choice nine.
Northampton’s Archie McParland, 21, had been named in the initial training squad but picked up a calf injury in last week’s camp.
There was slightly better news elsewhere: fly-half Fin Smith took a limited part in training as he recovers from a calf problem, with England sources optimistic he can face the Wallabies on Sunday. Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and flanker Tom Curry both did modified training at England’s Bagshot base but are expected to be fit for selection. Borthwick will name his side to face Australia on Friday.
Also Read: England Call Up Ben Spencer and Harry Randall as Injuries Hit Ahead of Australia Clash
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.