The indications from England camp are that Steve Borthwick will stick with a settled side this autumn, but at least one significant selection decision must be made. It is a mark of Alex Mitchell’s improvement as a player that a man fourth in the pecking order at the initial naming of the World Cup squad last August is now indisputably England’s first-choice number nine when fit.
But with the prognosis uncertain on his neck injury, Mitchell appears set to miss the four November Tests, leaving a sizeable hole. The Northampton man has fulfilled the starting brief in fine fashion over the last 12 months, marrying a sharpness of pass with real shrewdness and maturity. It is perhaps no coincidence that England’s worst performance of 2024 came with Mitchell unavailable against Scotland at Murrayfield.
