England scrum-half Alex Mitchell is facing a race against time to be fit for the upcoming Nations Championship, after a hamstring injury cast doubt on his availability. The 29-year-old tore his hamstring during an England training camp in Bagshot last month, and while he is in line for a surprise return to Northampton's matchday squad for Saturday's Premiership final against Exeter, his participation in England's summer fixtures remains uncertain.
Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson confirmed Mitchell has a chance of featuring in the final, but stressed the need to manage his workload carefully. 'There is a chance,' Dowson said. 'We have got to make sure we get the balance right and trust that if Alex does get involved he can do enough minutes to cover us off.' Dowson is expected to start young Archie McParland at scrum-half, with Mitchell likely to be used as a replacement if deemed fit.
England head coach Steve Borthwick is set to finalise his squad next Monday for the Nations Championship, which begins with a trip to Johannesburg to face South Africa on 4 July. Mitchell's injury has been a source of frustration for Northampton, with Dowson previously expressing his displeasure at the timing of the injury during an England camp. England's head of performance, Phil Morrow, travelled to Northampton to discuss the situation with Dowson, acknowledging the emotional response but emphasising the need to learn from the incident.
Meanwhile, Northampton captain George Furbank has urged his team to play with freedom in the final against Exeter. 'We want to go out and just attack this game,' Furbank said. 'Often in finals you can start to play within yourselves and play a bit safe. I don't think we're a good team when we do that. So for us it's about going and expressing ourselves and performing the way that we want to perform.'
