Alex Mitchell ruled out of England's Nations Championship campaign

England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the entire Nations Championship due to a hamstring injury, BBC News and The Guardian both report. This marks Mitchell's fourth hamstring injury of 2026. BBC News reported that his team-mate Tommy Freeman described the news as gutting for his colleague but backed him to return stronger after focusing on his rehabilitation. [1][4][8][10]

The Guardian initially reported that the Northampton scrum-half would miss Sunday's opening match against Australia. However, a follow-up report from The Guardian confirmed that a scan on Monday determined Mitchell will miss all of England's games in the tournament. [3][4]

England head coach Steve Borthwick had called Bristol's Harry Randall and Bath's Ben Spencer into the squad, according to The Guardian. The publication added that Jack van Poortvliet is expected to start against Australia, while fly-half Fin Smith remains an additional injury concern for Borthwick ahead of the opener. [3][4]

England's match against the Wallabies on Sunday is followed by Nations Championship fixtures against New Zealand and Japan, according to The Guardian. [3][4]