England suffer ANOTHER injury setback ahead of Six Nations opener

England’s preparations for the Six Nations clash with Italy have taken a further hit with concerns surrounding the fitness of Alex Mitchell.

The scrum-half was nailed on to take the scrum-half shirt on Saturday following his exploits at the Rugby World Cup and his stunning form for Northampton Saints this season.

That is now under threat, however, with Mitchell missing training for a second day in a row due to a leg wound which has become infected.

Although the playmaker has not been officially ruled out, his chances of making the Six Nations game in Rome have decreased.

Different half-back pair

Mitchell was pencilled in to start alongside Marcus Smith this weekend, but head coach Steve Borthwick may well have to completely alter his half-back partnership.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Smith would miss the encounter with the Azzurri following a calf injury picked up in training.

He was seen on crutches and was then sent for a scan, which confirmed that there was damage to the fly-half’s lower leg.

The full outcome has yet to be determined but there are worries that it could keep Smith out for a prolonged period.

“He won’t make this weekend sadly,” coach Kevin Sinfield said about the 24-year-old.

“It is a calf injury. We got the scan report through but we are waiting to understand exactly what that means for us moving forward. He’s not fit for this weekend.

“It just happened in training, the early part of the session. Just one of those things. The boys have had two days off (for) recovery and Marcus being the bundle of energy that he is was doing his thing.

“Unfortunately these things happen. We are gutted for him because he’s been amazing to work with and we hope it will not be too long.”

Sinfield added: “Marcus is a big loss. He’s an outstanding guy who I have absolutely loved working with and I have got a really good connection with.

“But what that does is provide opportunities for others. We have said it since I have been working with England that we are blessed with the 10s that we have got.”

Replacements

The fly-half’s absence means that another Smith, Northampton youngster Fin, could make his international debut this weekend.

Experienced playmaker George Ford may get the starting berth but the 21-year-old is set to make the 23-man squad at the very least.

As for the scrum-half position, Danny Care and Ben Spencer are the options to replace Mitchell should the Saints player not make it.

It represents another reshuffling of the backline for Borthwick with Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence – the two players that competed for the inside centre position at the World Cup – also on the sidelines.

Those injuries have followed the news about previous captain Owen Farrell, who stepped away from Test rugby ahead of the Six Nations and has since signed a deal to play in France with Racing 92.

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