men’s rugby
gallagher-premiership
Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson is optimistic that England and British & Irish Lions halfback Alex Mitchell will recover in time for the opening match of their Gallagher Premiership title defense against Newcastle Red Bulls later this month.
Mitchell has returned to training after missing England’s final Nations Championship game against Argentina due to an injury sustained during their comprehensive 73-8 win over Fiji at Everton’s Bramley Dock stadium in July.
The scrum-half has struggled with recurring hamstring issues over the past twelve months, but Dowson confirmed he is back on the practice pitch and confident of being ready for the September 25 clash with the Red Bulls.
“His training has been going really well, and he is incredibly eager to get back out there. It must have been frustrating for him to miss out on the summer games. I believe he had a fantastic opportunity in the final and performed brilliantly, especially considering his lack of match fitness.
“Our goal is to build up some consistency in his training routine and ensure we keep him active on the field as much as we can. It comes down to careful management. He injured the same hamstring during the Six Nations, so we are dealing with some delicate soft tissue there.
Matchup
Gallagher Premiership
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“We will obviously establish certain measures to help minimize those risks, but every player faces the possibility of injury, and he is neither the first nor the last to miss out on major fixtures,” Dowson explained to RugbyPass.
The Saints had Alex Coles, Manny Iyogun, Henry Pollock, Fin Smith, and Tommy Freeman participating in a three-day England training camp at Pennyhill Park this week, though Archie McParland was forced to withdraw late due to illness.
However, Dowson clarified that this represents only a temporary setback for McParland, who was previously sidelined for the summer internationals by a major leg injury requiring 38 stitches, sustained during the Premiership final victory over Exeter Chiefs.
“He is on the road to recovery. There was a bit of sickness going around the squad, so we want to stop that in its tracks and protect our players ahead of a grueling season.
“So it is very unfortunate for Archie, but I am hopeful and quite sure that he will receive plenty of other opportunities in that setup,” Dowson added.
