Alex Mitchell was looking to build on a breakthrough season when, one Thursday morning this summer, he encountered a problem most people would find incredibly disconcerting.
‘I woke up and I couldn’t really move my neck,’ Mitchell, the Northampton and England scrum-half, tells Mail Sport matter-of-factly.
After a campaign which had seen him win the Premiership title and become his country’s first-choice No 9, Mitchell’s complaint came out of nowhere. It forced him to miss all four of England’s November Tests.
‘I rang the club doctor and she said to come in. The problem was I wasn’t sure if I could drive as I couldn’t look over my shoulder,’ Mitchell says.
‘I was in a lot of pain and sweating while I was driving. I was ready to pull over and ask someone to come and pick me up. But I made it in the end and got some treatment and painkillers. The first week was horrid. I just couldn’t move.
‘I was in a heap. I did the first four or five weeks of pre-season and felt fine. I got a whack in training but didn’t think anything of it. When I had the scan, it showed a bulging disc in my neck.
Alex Mitchell was looking to build on a breakthrough season when, one Thursday morning this summer, he encountered a problem most people would find incredibly disconcerting
‘I woke up and I couldn’t really move my neck,’ Mitchell, the Northampton and England scrum-half, tells Mail Sport
Aside from his neck issue, this year has been pretty kind to the 27-year-old
‘I couldn’t do too much. I actually thought I was going to be fit to play the next week because I’ve had a back spasm in the past and I thought it might be a similar thing.
‘But it just didn’t ease off. It’s been frustrating. It was 12 weeks in the end. Being injured and not being able to help is one of the worst parts of rugby. It’s always frustrating watching. I hate that part. But it’s good to be back and now I’m feeling good.’
Aside from his neck issue, this year has been pretty kind to the 27-year-old. He did not make England’s initial squad for the 2023 World Cup. But after an injury to Jack van Poortvliet, he became a key figure as Steve Borthwick’s side finished third.
Mitchell continued as starting No 9 in the Six Nations and was a central figure as Saints won their first league title in a decade.
‘The whole year has been fantastic,’ says Mitchell, who is set to start Saints’ Champions Cup opener against Castres tomorrow. ‘I’ve missed playing so much. When you have a lay-off, you appreciate playing a lot more. In some way, the injury has helped. It’s given me motivation to keep going. There has definitely been a silver lining.’
Mitchell’s return to fitness was a slow burner. He received the best possible care, seeing specialists in London. His status as the only scrum-half on England’s 17-man list of enhanced elite playing squad (EPS) contracts is no guarantee of Test selection. But it is also indicative of how important he is to Borthwick.
In many ways, Mitchell achieved the near impossible this autumn, as he enhanced his reputation from the sidelines. Ben Spencer and Van Poortvliet started two games each at scrum-half, but neither put down a firm marker to take the shirt from Mitchell.
England’s November saw them beat only Japan and lose against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Mitchell is likely to return as starting No 9 for the 2025 Six Nations. ‘It definitely gives you confidence,’ Mitchell says of his EPS deal. ‘It shows the coaches are backing you.’
After a campaign which had seen him win the Premiership title and become his country’s first-choice No 9, Mitchell’s complaint came out of nowhere
After an injury to Jack van Poortvliet, he became a key figure as Steve Borthwick’s side finished third in the World Cup in 2023
Ben Spencer started two games at scrum-half this autumn, but did not put down a firm marker to take the shirt from Mitchell
And of his lay-off from England duty, he adds: ‘I get very frustrated watching. I want England to do well, so when they lose by tight margins, it’s even worse. It’s so much easier being on the pitch. We just need to find a way to win those tight games. We can be better. I know I can do more.’
Mitchell’s first game of the season saw him appear off the bench in Northampton’s 25-17 home Premiership defeat by Gloucester last Saturday. After claiming last season’s title, the Saints are down in eighth.
‘We’re the team now being chased,’ Mitchell says. ‘But we like that. The Gloucester result was disappointing. We just didn’t really turn up. Our energy and intent weren’t there. Last season, this European period gave us some great momentum going back into the Premiership. It made us realise we can beat very good sides both home and away.’
Saints bucked the trend of the recent struggles English clubs have had in Europe to make the semi-finals of last season’s Champions Cup, where they were beaten by Leinster.
Should he continue his form of the last year or so, Mitchell is likely to be a leading contender to tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions next summer.
‘I used to go round my friend’s house to watch the Tests and eat bacon butties when I was younger,’ says Mitchell. ‘The Lions has always been the pinnacle. I used to get so excited to watch those matches.
‘If you get a chance to go on that tour and play for the Lions, it’s a huge honour. It’s always been a goal, but I will just take it week by week.
‘I need to work hard to replicate the last 18 months and hopefully do even more.’
