 Six Nations 2025: England's Alex Mitchell set to be fit for Ireland opener
2025-01-27
Category: sports

Men's Six Nations: Ireland v EnglandVenue: Aviva Stadium Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMTCoverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app; watch on ITV1.
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell is set to be fit for England's Six Nations meeting with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.The 27-year-old had been a doubt with a knee problem but took a full part in training in Girona, Spain on Monday morning.Mitchell was one of England's key players in the first part of 2024 but missed the Autumn Nations Series because of a neck injury.England face double defending champions Ireland on Saturday at Aviva Stadium.Mitchell's return to fitness means club-mate Henry Pollock drops out of the 36-man squad, and he has left Girona to join up with England Under-20s.England boss Steve Borthwick was hit by a string of withdrawals at the start of last week, with Jamie George, Alex Coles, Alex Dombrandt and Jack van Poortvliet all dropping out of the squad.But Mitchell's fitness is a major boost as England look to win in Dublin for the first time since 2019.Borthwick is expected to select Marcus Smith to partner Mitchell at half-back, after the Harlequins playmaker wore the number 10 shirt throughout the summer and autumn.Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence look set to pair up at centre for the 11th consecutive Test, with Freddie Steward set to start at full-back in place of the injured George Furbank.