England adds Spencer and Randall to squad as injuries bite

Injury‑driven changes to England’s squad

Ben Spencer (19 caps) and Harry Randall (14 caps) have been added to England’s squad for this month’s Nations Championship after injuries sidelined Northampton’s Alex Mitchell and Archie McParland.

Alex Mitchell suffered a hamstring problem in Saints’ win over Gloucester on Saturday and will undergo a scan on Monday to determine his lay‑off period. This is his third hamstring injury of the year.

Archie McParland, 21, incurred a calf injury during last week’s training camp. He missed a July tour after a severe leg cut in the Premiership final against Exeter and may still be considered for the Japan (14 Nov) and New Zealand (21 Nov) matches.

Other squad selections

Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet, who started all three summer Tests, appears set to retain the first‑choice scrum‑half role.

Fin Smith is dealing with a calf problem, prompting a potential fly‑half reshuffle with Marcus Smith and George Ford as possible deputies.

Hooker Theo Dan (Saracens) secures the third hooker spot, edging out Nathan Jibulu, Jamie Blamire and Gabriel Oghre. He replaces Bath’s Kepu Tuipulotu, who was injured in the same training camp as McParland.

Back‑line additions include Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson and Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi‑Waboso, both returning from recent club injuries.

Midfield sees Gloucester’s Will Joseph, who earned his only previous cap in 2022, and Sale’s Joe Marchant, now eligible again after three seasons in France.

Bath centre duo Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who featured in last autumn’s clean sweep, are omitted, as is 20‑year‑old Saracens wing Noah Caluori.

Future fixtures

After the Tests against Australia, Japan and New Zealand, England will face a fourth Test against an as‑yet‑undecided southern‑hemisphere opponent during the play‑off finals weekend of the new Nations Championship format.

Live commentary will be available on BBC Sports Extra, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.