Marcus Smith has been ruled out of England’s Six Nations opener against Italy on Saturday because of a calf injury with Steve Borthwick in the dark over whether the Harlequins fly‑half will miss the entire championship. Fin Smith is in line for a Test debut as a result and has been declared “ready to start” if Borthwick opts to hand the 21‑year‑old the No 10 jersey in Rome.
England’s problems are mounting before the start of their campaign with Alex Mitchell also handing the head coach a sizeable scare. The Northampton scrum-half has been unable to train all week because of an infected wound in his leg, further disrupting Borthwick’s preparations.
