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Sport · Global desk · Full report

England Loses Scrum-Half Mitchell for Nations Championship Due to Hamstring Injury

Alex Mitchell misses England's autumn campaign following his fourth hamstring injury of the year, while fly-half Fin Smith remains a fitness doubt ahead of the opening match against Australia.

By Meesha Belrose · Published · 3 min read
File:Steve Borthwick and Owen Farrell.jpg
Related file photograph: File:Steve Borthwick and Owen Farrell.jpg (2012-09-30). Not a photograph of the newly reported event. Photo: Fearless Fred · CC BY 2.0 View licence and source ↗ · Usage terms ↗
The brief

Alex Mitchell misses England's autumn campaign following his fourth hamstring injury of the year, while fly-half Fin Smith remains a fitness doubt ahead of the opening match against Australia.

The story

England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the entire Nations Championship campaign after suffering a hamstring injury during his club's recent fixture. According to reports from The Guardian and BBC Sport, scans confirmed the severity of the issue following Mitchell's departure in the first half of Northampton's victory over Gloucester last Saturday.

The latest setback marks the fourth time this year that the 29-year-old has sustained a hamstring injury. Previous instances occurred during the Six Nations, at an England training camp in May, and in a summer Test against Fiji. When fit, Mitchell serves as England's first-choice number nine, leaving a significant vacancy for head coach Steve Borthwick's side.

With Mitchell unavailable for upcoming fixtures against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, Leicester Tigers player Jack van Poortvliet is expected to start at scrum-half against the Wallabies on Sunday. Ben Spencer and Harry Randall have been called into the squad as further scrum-half options, while young Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland has withdrawn due to a calf injury.

A closer look

Borthwick is also monitoring the fitness of Northampton fly-half Fin Smith, who missed his club's match against Gloucester due to a calf problem. Smith participated in running drills upon arrival at the Bagshot training camp, leaving team sources optimistic regarding his availability for the opening fixture.

England's squad faces additional personnel concerns ahead of the tournament opener. Borthwick is currently without Bath back-rowers Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill, rookie hooker Kepu Tuipulotu due to a knee injury, and Bristol centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg following a concussion. Meanwhile, hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and flanker Tom Curry participated in modified training and are expected to be available for selection when Borthwick names his matchday side on Friday.

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