Alex Mitchell faces long spell out after hamstring operation

England scrum-half Alex Mitchell is facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines after an operation to fix hamstring problems that keep coming back. The 29-year-old's latest injury happened in Northampton's win over Gloucester, and it has ruled him out of England's autumn Nations Championship games, according to BBC Sport.

The hamstring is the large muscle at the back of the thigh. Mitchell has suffered four hamstring injuries in 2026. The same hamstring was hurt against Ireland in February and again against Fiji in July. His other hamstring, in his left leg, which is his non-kicking leg, went during an England training camp in May.

Mitchell travelled to Finland for surgery with Lasse Lempainen, a specialist in injuries to elite athletes. Lempainen also operated on England's Ben Curry, who returned to action after 10 months out and featured in England's win over Australia. Curry's comeback gives some sense of the timescale that can follow this kind of surgery, though Mitchell's own recovery period has not been set out in the same way.

Mitchell was head coach Steve Borthwick's first-choice scrum-half last season. The scrum-half takes the ball from the base of the scrum or ruck and sends it out to the backs, so the role sets much of the pace of a game. Without him, Jack van Poortvliet has become Borthwick's starting scrum-half.

For Mitchell, the injuries have been the story of his year. Hamstring problems are notoriously stubborn, and the operation is aimed at tackling the recurring issues rather than simply treating the latest tear. Whether it works will only become clear once he is back in training and then in matches.

For England, the immediate question is simple. Van Poortvliet now has the chance to lock down the number nine shirt, and the autumn fixtures will show how the squad copes without its first-choice option at the base of the scrum.