England scrum half Jack van Poortvliet has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup, with Alex Mitchell called up as his replacement.
Van Poortvliet suffered an ankle injury against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday and requires surgery, ending his chances of appearing in France.
The young Leicester nine started every one of England’s games in the Six Nations earlier this year.
“It’s really bad luck for Jack, and we send him our very best wishes for a swift and successful recovery,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.
Mitchell returns to the England fold after being cut from the World Cup training squad at the end of June.
The Northampton Saints scrum half appeared off the bench in the final four games of England’s Six Nations campaign, but Borthwick had opted for the experienced Ben Youngs and Danny Care to complement Van Poortvliet, 22, at this autumn’s tournament.
“We had Alex Mitchell in camp earlier in our preparation period, and Alex played in the Six Nations as well,” Borthwick said on Saturday evening after England’s victory over Wales. “He was involved in four of the five games during the Six Nations and I’ve asked all of these [standby] players to be ready to be the next man in.”
England await news on a possible suspension for captain Owen Farrell. The fly half faces a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday after his sending off at Twickenham, and is likely to miss England’s final two warm-up games against Ireland and Fiji at the very minimum.
Borthwick’s side begin their World Cup campaign against Argentina in Marseille on 9 September.