England face an injury crisis with half-backs Alex Mitchell and George Ford BOTH doubts for next month’s Autumn internationals

England head coach Steve Borthwick is sweating on the fitness of first-choice half-backs Alex Mitchell and George Ford for his team’s four crunch November fixtures.

Scrum-half Mitchell has missed both of Northampton’s two opening Gallagher Premiership matches due to a neck injury. Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said on Tuesday he was unable to confirm a date for Mitchell’s return and that it was ‘up in the air’ as to when he will be back on the field.

Sale No 10 Ford, meanwhile, limped off in his team’s defeat by Saracens and is awaiting scan results on a quadriceps tear. Both players must now be considered autumn doubts.

Dowson said of Mitchell: ‘He’s had scans, some treatment, and we’re just waiting to see if that treatment is sufficient to get him going again.

‘I genuinely do not have a timeline – it could be anything. It’s up in the air. He is feeling a bit better on the back of some time off.

Alex Mitchell has yet to start a game this season as he continues to recover from a neck injury

‘He’s also frustrated because there is no timeline. What you don’t want to do is mess around with it. We’re trying to be quite conservative with it.’

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said of Ford: ‘He’s pulled a muscle in his quad and we don’t know the length of time that will take to rehab at this point. 

‘I don’t think he could have played on. He walked off and he hobbled around a bit. The initial report from the scan is that it’s a tear, so it was definitely the right decision to bring him off at the time.’

Ford missed England’s summer tour matches with Japan and New Zealand with an Achilles problem. Borthwick’s national side face New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan on four consecutive November weekends. 

If Mitchell and Ford are not fit by the time of the meeting with the All Blacks on November 2, then Bath captain Ben Spencer would be in pole position to start at scrum-half. Marcus Smith or Fin Smith would be the No 10 options.

Sanderson also said on Tuesday, Sale and England flanker Tom Curry is struggling to return to full fitness from a head injury.

Meanwhile George Ford hobbled off in Sale’s defeat by Saracens and is awaiting scan results on a quadriceps tear

Leicester’s new head coach Michael Cheika appeared before an RFU disciplinary panel on Tuesday charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.

Australian Cheika is alleged to have disrespected the independent match day doctor following his team’s win over Exeter at Sandy Park on the opening week of the season.

If found guilty, Cheika is set to face a ban.