It wasn’t just the way Steve Borthwick used his bench that shaped England’s victory over France, it was the way he didn’t use it, too. Instead of bringing on Harry Randall, Borthwick backed Alex Mitchell to play a full 80 minutes, something he hasn’t allowed any scrum-half to do since Mitchell last did it during England’s tour of New Zealand.
Mitchell missed most of the intervening games while he was recovering from a neck injury, including the three defeats in the autumn when Borthwick chopped and changed between Randall, Ben Spencer and Jack van Poortvliet in the interim.
Things always run smoother when a team knows who the starting No 9 is, and for Borthwick’s England it’s undoubtedly Mitchell. In all the excitement about Fin Smith’s performance, the importance of his Northampton teammate’s contribution in those last minutes got a little lost. Mitchell was instrumental in steering the team through that chaotic final quarter. Smith admits: “Having him out there with me made a massive difference.”
Mitchell says, a few days later: “It was needed, wasn’t it? I think the last five, six games we’ve come really close and just not got the right side of a result, now we’ve finally done that. When you’ve been out for a while, you kind of appreciate coming back and getting a performance and getting a win. You miss it, especially playing in front of 82,000 people, in front of friends and family. For me, there’s no better feeling.”
The satisfaction of the win wasn’t all he walked away with either, he also got his hands on Antoine Dupont’s jersey, to add to his collection. “I was pretty buzzing about that.”
Mitchell says that in an odd way it has helped that he missed all four autumn Tests, including the three narrow defeats by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, because it meant he felt like he was able to bring impetus to the team.
“I was still around, always speaking to the coaches and talking to the boys, but I think when you come back in after you’ve not been involved, you’ve got fresher legs and a new energy about you. You come in and try and bring a bit of energy yourself and do anything you can to try and change the game.”
Mitchell is 27 now, and though he has only 20 caps, his standing in the team has turned him into one of the senior players. “It’s weird nowadays. We have two groups, the young and the old, and I go off with the old group now, so I don’t really like that. But it’s good to be able just to give them little pointers here and there about what’s best to do in these situations.
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“Everyone’s different. Fin’s been fantastic. He’s a leader anyway but if I can ever say something to him, I always do. For me, I know how much it helped me to have Ben Youngs and Danny Care to learn off in the early years of my career.”
It’s a surprise to find the game against Scotland next Saturday will actually be his first Calcutta Cup match. “I think it’s the only team I’ve not played yet. I was injured last year and then I missed out on the first game against Scotland, so I’m actually really, really excited to play against them.
“It’s a massive game, and in recent years a massive rivalry. Obviously the last few we’ve not come out on top, but it’s a fantastic game, and for me these are the ones you want to play. They’re the biggest games of your career, so personally I can’t wait. To finally get back playing and getting results against some of the best teams in the world is a great feeling.”
