Mitchell up to speed like his idol Dickson
LIVEWIRE Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell is relishing the opportunities he is getting to pit his wits against England’s top No.9s.
Mitchell, 21, is among a squadron of Northampton academy products being given their head by Kiwi boss Chris Boyd as the Franklin’s Gardens outfit aim to become Premiership title challengers once again after spending two seasons in the doldrums.
A sparkling, all-action display against Bath last week underlined Mitchell’s class and he looks well on the way to following in the footsteps of club legend Lee Dickson, who made his name at Saints before going on to win 18 England caps. Mitchell told The Rugby
Paper: “When I was younger, I’d see Lee playing for England with his high tempo game and always wanted to be like that.
“Seeing him play for Saints, he was a great role model for me and I worked with him a lot last year and the year before. I think the game these days demands a lively scrum-half and I’ve tried to evolve my game around playing at that pace.
“Ball away from the breakdown, try to tire the opposition – that’s what I pride myself on and that’s what I aim to deliver for Saints.”
While Mitchell has predominantly been employed as back-up to Cobus Reinach, he has featured in 18 games for Saints this season – 11 of them in the Premiership – scoring eight tries and adding huge impetus to their improving attack.
Fifty-one tries in six games before this weekend is testament to that, with Mitchell adding: “Sam Vesty runs our attack and there’s a lot of clarity around what our shape looks like now, and certainly more to come from this team.
“I saw a tweet the other day on how a big chunk of our squad is under the age of 23, so the fact we’re doing well this season now shows how massive the future can be for this Saints squad.
“Personally, I really enjoy going up against the top scrum-halves in the country. Will Chudley, Richard Wigglesworth, Dan Robson, Danny Care, Ben Youngs – to have the chance of competing against those players challenges you to perform.
“It’s a good confidence builder and great experience I’m getting at the moment.”
Mitchell still has South African star Reinach in his way, but says: “Cobus has been great to work with and we’re just trying to get better personally and make the team better.
“I’m learning a lot off him, which is great, and he’s been fantastic this season as well. But there’s been a lot of rotation and Chris Boyd has been true to his word by giving younger guys chances, which is great because it pushes you.
“He and the other coaches give you the confidence to play and if you’re putting performances on the pitch, they’ll keep backing you.”
It is surely only a matter of time before Mitchell and fellow half-back tyro James Grayson elbow their way on to England’s post-World Cup radar.
Mitchell adds: “I’ve worked with ‘Grays’ for a long time now, coming through the academy and playing England U18s and 20s together.
“He’s great to work with and we’ve got a really good relationship on and off the park, so let’s just see where that might take us.”