Steve Borthwick is sweating over the fitness of first-choice half backs George Ford and Alex Mitchell with the pair seemingly doubts for England’s autumn campaign.
Northampton’s Mitchell is yet to feature this season as he deals with a neck issue, while Ford suffered a tear in his quad during Sale Sharks’s Premiership defeat to Saracens on Saturday.
The experienced fly half missed the summer tour of New Zealand to sort a problem with his Achilles in the hopes of returning to full fitness ahead of a tough November that sees England face New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
But head coach Borthwick is now anxiously awaiting more detailed results from a scan on his muscular injury.
“He’s pulled a muscle in his quad [and] we don’t know the length of time that will take to rehab at this point,” Alex Sanderson, Sale’s director of rugby, said. “From the initial reports, it’s a tear.
“I can foresee not an overly long lay-off given how he walked off the field, but I haven’t got anything else from the medics as yet.”
England face the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on 2 November in their first Autumn Nations Series fixture. Borthwick is expected to name his squad on 16 October, before his squad return to Girona for a training camp.
Ford’s absence in New Zealand opened an opportunity for Marcus Smith to start both games, while Fin Smith appeared off the bench as he continues to impress for Northampton.
His half-back partner Mitchell, though, has been unable to feature in either of Saints’ first two Premiership fixtures. The scrum half seized the starting nine shirt for his country during last year’s World Cup and has become an increasingly key figure for Borthwick as England moved towards a higher tempo attacking game.
His neck injury appears to be an ongoing concern, though, with Northampton boss Phil Dowson admitted that he did not yet know when Mitchell might be back.
“He’s had scans, some treatment, and we’re just waiting to see if that treatment is sufficient to get him going again,” Dowson outlined.
“I genuinely do not have a timeline – it could be anything. It’s up in the air. He is feeling a bit better on the back of some time off.
“He’s also frustrated because there is no timeline. What you don’t want to do is mess around with it. We’re trying to be quite conservative with it.”
Ben Spencer, in sparkling form for Bath, would be the likely starter were Mitchell to miss any of England’s autumn itinerary.