Alex Mitchell is on standby to replace Jack van Poortvliet in England’s World Cup squad if the Leicester scrum-half’s worst injury fears are confirmed.
Van Poortvliet is to undergo a scan on his right ankle after he was helped from the pitch by medical staff in the 33rd minute of Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales at Twickenham.
The 22-year-old rookie, who was in significant pain, is one of three scrum-halves named in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man squad for the tournament alongside Ben Youngs and Danny Care.
A fitness update is expected on Monday at the earliest and if the damage is substantial, then Mitchell will be summoned into camp.
Mitchell was unfortunate to miss out on the original squad after making four impactful replacement appearances during the Six Nations earlier this year, injecting energy and tempo into England’s play.
“We had Alex Mitchell in camp earlier in our preparation period and he played in the Six Nations as well,” Borthwick said.
“He was involved in four of the five games during the Six Nations and I’ve asked all of the standby players to be ready to be the next man in.
“I want to make sure we’ve got depth in those key positions. I need to find out the information on Jack at this stage and I don’t know that.”
Borthwick faces another potential challenge to his thinking at half-back as England wait for the outcome of Tuesday’s disciplinary hearing that will determine the length of Owen Farrell’s ban.
Farrell was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham and is in danger of missing the World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 – and possibly additional group games.
Giving England hope is that George Ford was outstanding as a replacement for the squad’s captain.
“George is a great thinker about the game. He studies the game, he watches the game – a lot. He’s always coming forward with ideas, thoughts and improvements,” Borthwick said.
“You saw against Wales his game management and the use of his kicking game. George’s distribution skills are very, very good.”
