Alex Mitchell: England scrum-half ruled out of Six Nations encounter against Scotland with knee injury

Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of England's Six Nations encounter against Scotland with a knee injury.

The scrum-half sustained the injury during a training session for the Calcutta Cup, which will be played at Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday, February 24.

An England spokesperson said Mitchell's injury requires "further investigation" before a return date can be set, with Bristol Bears scrum-half Harry Randall named as cover in Steve Borthwick’s 36-player training squad.

Mitchell is expected to be replaced by Harlequins' Danny Care or Bath's Ben Spencer for the match against Scotland.

The Northampton Saints player started England's wins against Italy and Wales in the Six Nations so far, having become a regular in Borthwick's starting line-up during last year's Rugby World Cup.

Borthwick will have Ollie Lawrence back in the squad, with the Bath centre recovering from a hip injury which kept him out of England's first two Six Nations matches.

Sale Sharks' Manu Tuilagi was also recalled to the squad earlier this week.

There will now be stiff competition between Lawrence, Tuilagi and fellow centre Fraser Dingwall, with the latter chosen to start for England against Italy and Wales.

England are currently second in the Six Nations standings with eight points, behind Ireland on 10 points.

The team will be hoping to continue their perfect record at the tournament so far against Scotland, but must beat their opponents for the first time since 2020.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.