Steve Borthwick confirms series-ending injury to take sheen off England win

Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of England’s final Nations Championship match against Argentina after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 73-8 rout of Fiji at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Mitchell came on as a second-half replacement for Jack van Poortvliet but lasted just nine minutes before limping off and cut a frustrated figure as he left the field.

The British and Irish Lions scrum-half’s season has been hampered by two previous hamstring injuries, the first of which ruled him out of the Six Nations, and he will now miss the climax to the July tour in Santiago del Estero.

Head coach Steve Borthwick said: “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.”

With Van Poortvliet already off the pitch Marcus Smith moved from full-back to scrum-half, and despite never having trained in the position with England, he impressed as Fiji were crushed by an 11-try onslaught.

Borthwick said: “Marcus did a brilliant job stepping in at nine like that. He was super.

“Marcus 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.”