WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
England confirm Jack van Poortvliet is set to miss the WHOLE Rugby World Cup after suffering an ankle injury with Alex Mitchell called up to replace him
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
england The first scrum-half has been ruled out of the World Cup, after the RFU confirmed that Jack van Poortvliet needed surgery on his ankle which he injured last Saturday against Wales.
As Mail Sport first revealed last night, the 22-year-old Leicester wonderkid was kicked out of the world’s showpiece in France this autumn, following damage he suffered during a a freak accident at Twickenham.
Van Poortvliet had to be helped off the pitch in the first half after what appeared to be a low-level collision with team-mate Ollie Lawrence which left him in obvious pain on the turf.
Borthwick lost the services of the young Tiger who was favorite to wear England’s No.9 shirt in their World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille on September 9.
After officially announcing that Northampton’s Alex Mitchell had been called up as cover, the head coach said: “It’s really bad luck for Jack, and we send him our best wishes for a speedy and successful recovery.”
England’s top scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been banned from the entire World Cup
Mitchell was involved in the last Six Nations but was then passed in the scrum-half pecking order by Harlequins veteran Danny Care, who was included in the tournament squad of 33 named last week, ahead of the youngest competitor.
Now Mitchell hopes to prove he can fight for a game day role, as someone who can provide vital tempo and a spark on offense.
However, the selection equation is now likely to default to what it was in that position for so many years under Eddie Jones and even before his tenure; Care as the main alternative to Ben Youngs, who is now almost certain to start against the Pumas.
The 22-year-old picked up an ankle injury in Saturday’s clash with Wales at Twickenham
Northampton’s Alex Mitchell has been called up to replace the injured scrum-half
England’s most capped player will be tasked with implementing a pragmatic and territorial game plan, which he has so often proven to be the master of in the past.
In the meantime, it’s a wild disappointment for Van Poortvliet, who must now follow the campaign across the Channel while he recovers from an operation.
He showed his Testing credentials in the series win over the Wallabies in Australia last summer, and is sure to be back in the selection mix once he’s back to full fitness.
In the long run, he will compete for selections with the younger generation of England scrum-half such as Mitchell, Raffi Quirke and Harry Randall.