England’s Fin Smith facing make-or-break fitness test before Australia clash

Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of all of England’s Nations Championship campaign as a result of his latest hamstring injury, dealing a significant blow to Steve Borthwick before the opener against Australia on Sunday.

The Northampton scrum-half had already been deemed unavailable for the clash against the Wallabies and a scan on Monday has determined that Mitchell will sit out all of England’s autumn campaign.

As a result, Jack van Poortvliet is expected to start at scrum-half against Australia with Ben Spencer and Harry Randall vying for a spot on the bench. For Mitchell, however, it is rotten luck given it is the fourth time this year he has sustained a hamstring injury.

He picked up similar injuries during the Six Nations, at an England camp in May – recovering to take his place in the Northampton squad for the Prem final win against Exeter – and during the summer Test against Fiji. Van Poortvliet was England’s starting scrum-half for the summer given Mitchell’s lack of game time but when fit and firing the Northampton Saint is England’s first-choice No 9.

Borthwick is also waiting on the fitness of Mitchell’s Northampton teammate and half-back partner Fin Smith before naming his side to face Australia. Smith missed Saints’ victory against Gloucester last weekend – the match in which Mitchell sustained his injury – but England are hopeful he will recover from his calf problem in time to take his place in the side.

Already, Borthwick is without the Bath back-rowers Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill while the club’s rookie hooker Kepu Tuipulotu is also missing with a knee problem. Bristol’s centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg is also absent after sustaining a concussion against Northampton this season.