Alex Mitchell ruled out of England’s Nations Championship opener after hamstring injury

Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of England’s November Nations Championship opener against Australia on Sunday after damaging a hamstring in Northampton’s Premiership win against Gloucester on Saturday. Head coach Steve Borthwick has called up Bristol’s Harry Randall and Bath’s Ben Spencer in Mitchell’s place.

Mitchell, established as the first-choice No 9 under Borthwick, will have a scan on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury. Northampton team-mate Archie McParland, an uncapped player, is also sidelined for the Wallabies match after sustaining a calf injury while training with England last week following his second call-up to the senior squad. Borthwick faces a reshuffle at scrum-half ahead of a run of four Nations Championship matches in November.

The absence of Mitchell and McParland means either Randall or Spencer will be named on the bench against Australia, with Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet expected to start at No 9. While Mitchell is guaranteed to return when he recovers from injury, the call-ups give Randall and Spencer an opportunity to press their claims ahead of next year’s World Cup. Borthwick and his staff will assess how the personnel changes affect tactics for the Wallabies game.

Randall is noted in the squad for a sniping running game with Bristol, while Spencer, who recently returned to action for Bath after shoulder surgery, is recognised for his tactical kicking. The pair’s contrasting skill sets present different bench options for the match-day selection. Both are part of a 36-man group named by Borthwick for the autumn window.

There is one change to the forwards from the training squad named last week: the 21-year-old Bath hooker Kepu Tuipulotu drops out because of injury, with Theo Dan of Saracens returning. Borthwick’s squad comprises 20 forwards and 16 backs and gathered at Pennyhill Park on Monday night. The Premiership is now on a break until December.

“We’re looking forward to getting back to Allianz Stadium for four important Test matches against top-level opposition,” Borthwick said. “These fixtures take on added significance this autumn as they represent our final opportunity to face southern hemisphere opposition before next year’s World Cup. “Facing Australia next Sunday is an exciting challenge. They have played a significant amount of Test rugby in recent months, and we know the quality and experience they will bring.”

Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Arthur Clark (Gloucester), Alex Coles (Northampton), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Ben Curry (Sale), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Greg Fisilau (Exeter), Jamie George (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton), George Martin (Saracens), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Tom Pearson (Northampton), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Will Stuart (Bath).

Backs: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), George Furbank (Harlequins), Will Joseph (Gloucester), Joe Marchant (Sale), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Harry Randall (Bristol), Henry Slade (Exeter), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester).

Scotland have also suffered selection blows, with Jamie Ritchie and Elliot Millar Mills ruled out of all four November matches. Ritchie is expected to be out for four to six weeks after sustaining a suspected medial collateral ligament injury in Glasgow’s United Rugby Championship win against Lions last Friday, while Millar Mills picked up a knee injury during Newcastle’s Premiership defeat by Saracens on Saturday. Three Edinburgh forwards — the props Ollie Blyth-Lafferty and D’Arcy Rae, and the flanker Freddy Douglas — have been called into Gregor Townsend’s squad.

England kick off against Australia in round four of the Nations Championship on Sunday and will meet Japan and New Zealand in rounds five and six before the finals weekend at the end of November, with their last opponents to be confirmed.