Jack van Poortvliet, who replaced Mitchell against Andy Farrell’s side, is favourite to start at scrum-half in Rome, with Raffi Quirke called up to the squad as a replacement. Jack van Poortvliet is favourite to start for England at scrum-half against Italy (Ben Whitley/PA). “Alex has been scanned and seen the relevant specialists,” head coach Steve Borthwick said. “He’ll be out for a number of weeks, unfortunately, so won’t feature in the remainder of this championship.”Centre Ollie Lawrence is a doubt for the visit to the Stadio Olimpico after receiving a knee injection after making his comeback from the same injury against Ireland.

Source: The Herald February 25, 2026 17:56 UTC