Mitchell out of England’s trip to Argentina

England's scrum-half Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the team's final Nations Championship fixture against Argentina next weekend. The injury, a hamstring problem, occurred during England's dominant 73-8 win over Fiji on Saturday.

Mitchell's absence is a blow, especially as he has battled a similar injury throughout the season. He was only on the field for nine minutes as a second-half substitute before being forced off again. Coach Steve Borthwick acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the injury's severity and duration.

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I don’t know at this stage whether it’s a recurrence of the hamstring injury he’s had a couple of times already this season, nor can I confirm the length at this early stage of how long he’s going to be absent for, but it looks like he won’t be able to be part of next week.

"I don’t know at this stage whether it’s a recurrence of the hamstring injury he’s had a couple of times already this season, nor can I confirm the length at this early stage of how long he’s going to be absent for, but it looks like he won’t be able to be part of next week," Borthwick stated.

Despite the setback, Borthwick commended the performance of fullback Marcus Smith, who seamlessly transitioned to scrum-half after Mitchell's departure. "Marcus did a brilliant job stepping in at nine like that," Borthwick said. "He was super. He played really physically in contact, in the tackle, and was so alive to the off-load. He made a lot of good things happen for the team.” England is expected to announce Mitchell's replacement before traveling to Argentina for the match in Santiago del Estero.

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Marcus did a brilliant job stepping in at nine like that. He was super. He played really physically in contact, in the tackle, and was so alive to the off-load. He made a lot of good things happen for the team.