England: Five in, five out as Steve Borthwick sweats over Alex Mitchell’s fitness for Six Nations while Saints sensation earns a recall
Steve Borthwick has been dealt five hammer blows ahead of England's Six Nations opener against Ireland.
Five players have been added to England’s training squad for the 2025 Six Nations following a quintet of injuries during the weekend’s Investec Champions Cup action.
Steve Borthwick and his squad begin preparations for the Championship in Girona today, with the England boss forced into personnel changes.
The five out
England will be sweating over the quintet of injuries ahead of their opening match against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, February 1.
Amongst those injured is Saracens hooker Jamie George, who captained the national team last year but was stripped of the leadership role with Maro Itoje preferred. Despite losing the captaincy, George remains a key cog in the England pack and the leadership team for the Six Nations.
Borthwick has also been dealt a major setback with two scrum-halves absent for the first week of training in the form of Alex Mitchell – who missed the Autumn Nations Series through injury – and Jack van Poortvliet.
Mitchell reportedly sustained a dead leg injury during the clash with Munster over the weekend but the scrum-half is expected to recover in time to start against Ireland in round one. England have confirmed that Mitchell will travel with the squad to Girona to continue his rehabilitation.
Harlequins number eight Alex Dombrandt and Northampton lock Alex Coles are the other two players who have been replaced in the training squad following their injuries.
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The five in
After a standout performance over the weekend, Northampton Saints’ rising star Henry Pollock has been recalled to the squad.
The 20-year-old has been in outstanding form for his club and his omission from the initial squad surprised many particularly after he was included in the wider team in November.
He comes in as cover for Dombrandt while his clubmate Curtis Langdon has been called up in place of hooker George.
Sale Sharks scrum-half Raffi Quirke has been added to the training squad along with Bath captain Ben Spencer with the pair filling the spots of Van Poortvliet and Mitchell. Spencer was consistently selected in 2024 but was another player whose absence in the initial squad raised a few eyebrows.
Finally, Gloucester forward Arthur Clark has also been called up to the squad to replace Coles.
England: 2025 Six Nations squad, fixtures, TV channels and match officials
Updated England squad for the Six Nations
Forwards: Fin Baxter, Ollie Chessum, Arthur Clark, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Maro Itoje (c), Curtis Langdon, George Martin, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Henry Pollock Bevan Rodd, Will Stuart, Tom Willis
Backs: Oscar Beard, Elliot Daly, Fraser Dingwall, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Raffi Quirke, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward
