By Basant El-Faramawy
England have lost scrum-half Alex Mitchell for the entire autumn international series after he suffered a hamstring injury playing for Northampton against Gloucester at the weekend. A scan on Monday confirmed the British and Irish Lions player will miss all four Tests this month, including matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand, as well as the Nations Championship finals weekend on November 27-29.
Fourth hamstring setback in 2026
The injury is the fourth hamstring problem Mitchell has endured in 2026, dealing a significant blow to a player who was expected to play a full role in England's autumn campaign.
Van Poortvliet set to start with Spencer or Randall as cover
Jack van Poortvliet is likely to continue wearing the number nine jersey in Mitchell's absence, with either Ben Spencer or Harry Randall providing cover from the bench.
Fin Smith races to be fit for Wallabies clash
Mitchell's Northampton team-mate Fin Smith is battling a second calf issue of the year and faces a race against time to be fit for the Wallabies' visit to Allianz Stadium on Sunday. Head coach Steve Borthwick will give Smith until Wednesday to prove his fitness, with George Ford and Marcus Smith on standby to replace him at fly-half.
Other players ruled out for Nations Championship second phase
Archie McParland, another Northampton half-back struggling with a calf problem, could return against Japan or New Zealand. However, Sam Underhill (biceps), Kepueli Tuipulotu (knee) and Benhard Janse van Rensburg (concussion) will miss the entire second phase of the Nations Championship.
