England’s preparations for the Nations Championship have been dealt a significant blow, with confirmation that scrum-half Alex Mitchell will miss the entire tournament.
The 29-year-old sustained his fourth hamstring injury of the year during his club side’s recent Premiership victory over Gloucester, a development that keeps him sidelined for upcoming clashes against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. And England confirmed he will play no part in the matches with Australia, Japan and New Zealand this month, the Northampton pivot limped out of his club’s Prem game with Gloucester last Saturday. Rugby Union Weekly: Can England afford to lose to Australia. You don’t want to see your mate and a player who is a massive part of this group out.
The injury, which forced Mitchell off during the first half of the 28-14 win, had been anticipated as a serious setback. Having already struggled with three separate hamstring issues throughout 2026, Mitchell now faces a prolonged period of rehabilitation to address the recurring problem. But the news around Mitchell had been expected ever since he withdrew in the first half of Northampton’s 28-14 victory over the Cherry and Whites.
Teammate Tommy Freeman described the news as gutting for the squad, though he expressed confidence that the time away would allow Mitchell to find effective, long-term solutions for his recovery. Freeman praised the scrum-half’s influence, noting that his presence and character will be missed during the campaign. Find new solutions and ways to maximise his recovery,” Saints wing Freeman said, it will definitely give him time to go after his rehab and get to the bottom of what is going on. He’s joining in with meetings and giving good points so he’s very much involved and that shows the character he is,” he added.
In the wake of Mitchell’s withdrawal and a separate calf injury that forced 21-year-old Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland out of the training squad, England has called up Ben Spencer of Bath and Harry Randall of Bristol Bears. Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet, who started all three of England’s summer Tests, is widely considered the leading candidate to start in the position.
Meanwhile, fly-half Fin Smith is continuing to manage a calf issue. While his training involvement has been limited, he participated in running drills upon arriving at camp. Freeman reported that Smith remains optimistic about his availability for Sunday’s fixture against the Wallabies, with the fly-half maintaining his engagement by attending team meetings.
Other squad members, including hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and flanker Tom Curry, participated in modified training sessions at the team’s Bagshot base on Tuesday and are expected to be available for selection. England head coach Steve Borthwick is scheduled to finalize his side for the Australia match on Friday.
