England head coach Steve Borthwick has selected a 36-player squad for the forthcoming Nations Championship, with scrum-half Alex Mitchell absent after sustaining a hamstring injury during Northampton's 28-14 victory over Gloucester on Saturday evening. According to Sky Sports, the squad comprises 20 forwards and 16 backs and will assemble at England's performance centre at Pennyhill Park on November 2.
Mitchell was forced off after just 21 minutes of play at Franklin's Gardens, departing the pitch with the hamstring problem and being replaced by 20-year-old Jonny Weimann. An injury update is expected in due course. Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said Mitchell had hurt his hamstring but he did not know the severity; he stressed the club must be careful with him.
The latest setback represents a troubling pattern for the 26-year-old. Mitchell's injury is reported to be his fourth hamstring problem since February; he also missed the final two rounds of the Six Nations with a hamstring issue. His recent history has been marked by recurring soft-tissue concerns that have limited his availability for both club and country.
Ben Spencer and Harry Randall have been called into the squad to provide cover at scrum-half in Mitchell's absence. Jack van Poortvliet is expected to start at scrum-half against Australia.
Despite missing England's three-day training camp ahead of the series, Fin Smith has been included in the squad. Northampton were also without Fin Smith and Archie McParland against Gloucester; Dowson said both had calf injuries. Fin Smith was expected to have until Wednesday to prove his fitness.
England are set to face Australia at Allianz Stadium on Sunday, November 8 in round four of the Nations Championship. Following that fixture, England will take on Japan and New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in rounds five and six, before Finals Weekend runs from Friday 27 to Sunday November 29.
We're looking forward to getting back to Allianz Stadium for four important Test matches against top-level opposition. These fixtures take on added significance this Autumn as they represent our final opportunity to face Southern Hemisphere opposition before next year's Rugby World Cup. Facing Australia next Sunday is an exciting challenge. They have played a significant amount of Test rugby in recent months, and we know the quality and experience they will bring.
Borthwick's comments underline the importance of the November window as a final audition for players ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The Nations Championship provides England with crucial preparation against elite opposition from the Southern Hemisphere.
England's Nations Championship squad
Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby).
Backs: Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers).
November fixture schedule
Round Four – Sunday, November 8: England vs Australia (3.10pm).
Round Five – Saturday, November 14: England vs Japan (4.40pm).
Round Six – Saturday, November 21: England vs New Zealand (2.10pm).
Finals Weekend: November 27–29, featuring playoff matches between the top finishers from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere conferences.
July results and Nations Championship standings
England's preparation for the November series follows their July campaign, which saw mixed results. The team suffered a heavy defeat to South Africa (45-21) but recovered to beat Fiji (73-8) and Argentina (31-24). New Zealand topped the Southern Hemisphere standings with victories over France (34-32), Italy (47-17), and Ireland (40-21), while France won the Northern Hemisphere conference with wins over Australia (42-26), Japan (36-20), and France's 42-15 victory over Japan.
