England’s Head Coach, Steve Borthwick, is facing concerns over the fitness of his first-choice halfbacks, George Ford and Alex Mitchell, as the autumn Tests approach. Mitchell, from Northampton, has been dealing with a neck injury and has not played this season. On the other hand, Ford suffered a quad tear in a match against Sale Sharks.
Ford had missed England’s summer tour of New Zealand to resolve an Achilles issue in preparation for the challenging November schedule that includes matches against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan. However, with his latest injury, Borthwick is eagerly awaiting the results of a scan to determine the extent of Ford’s recovery time.
Alex Sanderson, Sale’s director of rugby, mentioned, “He’s pulled a muscle in his quad [and] we don’t know the length of time that will take to rehab at this point.” The uncertainty around Ford’s availability is a cause for concern for the England team.
The absence of Ford during the summer tour gave Marcus Smith an opportunity to showcase his skills as a fly half. Meanwhile, Alex Mitchell, who had emerged as a key player during the World Cup, has been sidelined due to his neck problem, with no clear timeline for his return.
Phil Dowson, Northampton’s coach, expressed uncertainty about Mitchell’s comeback, stating, “He’s had scans, some treatment, and we’re just waiting to see if that treatment is sufficient to get him going again…I genuinely do not have a timeline – it could be anything.”
In Mitchell’s potential absence, Ben Spencer from Bath could step in as the starting scrum-half for England. Borthwick is expected to announce his squad on 16 October, with hopes that both Ford and Mitchell can recover in time for the upcoming matches.