England have been struck by an injury crisis less than a fortnight before the Guinness Six Nations with vice-captain Jamie George heading a significant list of withdrawals from Steve Borthwick’s squad.
Influential scrum-half Alex Mitchell is a doubt for the opener against Ireland on February 1 but his likely replacement Jack Van Poortvliet, second row Alex Coles and number eight Alex Dombrandt have joined George in being definitively ruled out.
