Mitchell out of Calcutta Cup with knee injury
ENGLAND will need a new scrum-half for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup after first-choice No 9 Alex Mitchell was ruled out of the Scotland clash by a knee injury.
But head coach Steve Borthwick does have Ollie Lawrence — English rugby’s form centre this season — back fit and in contention to start in Edinburgh. Borthwick last night named a 36-man squad to prepare for the trip to Murrayfield and Mitchell’s absence is a blow because he has become key for club and country.
The Northampton man’s knee problem means veteran Danny Care is likely to start against Scotland and make his 99th Test appearance, with Ben Spencer of Bath set to be among the replacements.
Bristol’s Harry Randall has been called up as added No 9 cover. England last night said further analysis was required to ascertain how long Mitchell would be on the sidelines but he will not be available against Scotland.
Behind the scrum, Borthwick has a selection puzzle with both Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi now firing on all cylinders. Lawrence, who has hit new heights at Bath this term, was last week said to be continuing his recovery from a hip injury, which has kept him out of the Six Nations so far.
But his upgrade to a full member of Borthwick’s pre-Scotland squad means he is now in contention to start against Gregor Townsend’s side. Tuilagi is another midfield option for Borthwick to consider after he recovered from a groin issue.
Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade were England’s centre pairing for the back-to-back wins over Italy and Wales, but there must now be a serious temptation to start Lawrence.
The former Worcester man’s pace and power have seen him stand out in the Gallagher Premiership and European Champions Cup in the 2023-24 campaign to date. Fly-half Marcus Smith will continue to manage a calf injury with England this week and misses the Scotland clash.