England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the entire Nations Championship after suffering his fourth hamstring injury of 2026. The 29-year-old Northampton player limped out of his club's Premiership match against Gloucester last Saturday, and England confirmed he will play no part in the upcoming fixtures against Australia, Japan and New Zealand this month.
Fly-half Fin Smith, who is recovering from a calf problem, took a limited part in training but participated in running drills on arrival at camp. England sources remain optimistic about his chances of being fit for Sunday's match against the Wallabies.
Mitchell's absence had been expected since he withdrew in the first half of Northampton's 28-14 victory. He had already sustained three hamstring injuries earlier in the year and now faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines for both club and country.
Northampton and England teammate Tommy Freeman described the news as "gutting" but backed Mitchell to return stronger, noting it would give him time to address the recurring issue. Freeman also said Smith is "pretty optimistic" about playing against Australia and remains involved in team meetings despite a reduced training role.
Bath's Ben Spencer and Bristol Bears' Harry Randall were called into the squad as scrum-half options on Monday, with Leicester's Jack van Poortvliet — who started all three of England's summer Tests — the likely first-choice number nine. Northampton's Archie McParland, 21, was named in the initial training squad but has withdrawn with a calf injury.
Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and flanker Tom Curry both took part in modified training on Tuesday at England's Bagshot base but are expected to be fit for selection. Head coach Steve Borthwick will name his side to face Australia on Friday.
