Steve Borthwick has been forced into a drastic reshuffle of his Six Nations squad after Jamie George was ruled out of the opening two rounds, the former captain among four players to withdraw from the England squad.

George will miss the games against Ireland and France next month and was replaced in Borthwick’s training squad on Tuesday alongside scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet. Northampton lock Alex Coles and Harlequins No 8 Alex Dombrandt are also unavailable.

However, there was one bit of good news in that Borthwick is confident that first-choice No 9 Alex Mitchell will be fit to face Ireland in Dublin on February 1 and avoid a scrum-half injury crisis ahead of the start of England’s campaign.

Mitchell will only take part in “modified training” when the England squad assembles in Girona in Spain on Wednesday after suffering a knee injury during Northampton Saints’ victory over Munster last Saturday. However, the 27-year-old is expected to return to full training next week.

His availability will be crucial for Borthwick, who was forced into a drastic reshuffle of his Six Nations squad. Scrum-half is the area that has been most affected, with Bath’s Ben Spencer recalled and Sale Sharks livewire Raffi Quirke invited to the Girona training camp to replace Van Poortvliet, who is expected to be sidelined for four weeks with a knee injury.

“Alex clearly established himself as the first-choice No 9 at the World Cup and through last year we really saw him grow as a Test player,” said Borthwick, speaking at the Six Nations launch in Rome on Tuesday.

“He has that running threat, but he also has speed of ball which is the quickest of all our nines. You can see the effect Alex has on the Northampton team as well as the England team. We are very optimistic that he will be available next week and he’s been playing really well. He is clearly crucial to the way we want to play. We know that, in this championship, the breakdown is going to be hard fought, so getting that ball away is going to be very, very important to us.”

Hooker George, who was last week replaced as captain by Maro Itoje, suffered a hamstring injury in Saracens’ Champions Cup defeat by Castres on Sunday and is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks, ruling him out of the second round against France at Twickenham. He is replaced by Northampton’s Curtis Langdon.

“Jamie George will hopefully be two to three weeks,” added Borthwick. “He’s a top-class player, a great leader and a fantastic influence around the other players. So, we’re desperately disappointed for us as a squad and for him. I spoke to him yesterday and I got a sense of determination from him down the phone. He’s a fast healer and he’s going to get back ASAP. I’ll be delighted to get him back fully fit. I told him that to pull a hamstring he’d clearly run too fast. I’m disappointed for him but hopefully he’ll be back soon.”

Henry Pollock, one of the rising stars of England’s Under-20s World Cup-winning side, replaces Dombrandt, who suffered a calf injury against Glasgow and will be out for up to four weeks. Arthur Clark, the 23-year-old Gloucester lock who has featured for England A, comes in for Coles.

The promotion of Pollock, who turned 20 only last week, comes on the back of some fine club form. He scored two tries in Northampton’s loss to Stade Français before coming off the bench for an influential cameo against Munster.

His jackal turnover sealed a 34-32 victory and followed a try-saving tackle. Pollock still qualifies to represent England Under-20s and had been considered as a potential captain of that side, but was invited to Borthwick’s alignment camp earlier this month.

Now, he has been whisked into the fold ahead of England’s Six Nations opener against Ireland on February 1 and will compete for a place in the match-day 23 alongside the other back-row candidates in the squad: Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Ted Hill and Tom Willis.

“When you saw him come on at the weekend, in a big European fixture, he played with fierce competitiveness,” said Borthwick of Pollock. “It is all about winning for him; finding a way to help his team win. He won the penalty which sealed victory for them [Northampton]. I think that shows the character of the young man.

“To go away and play against the Bulls in South Africa, as a young man, he took the game to the opposition.’

“And again, the European [Rugby Champions Cup], the importance of going away and playing in Paris and taking the game to the opposition the way he did against Stade Français. That tells you this man is a young man with fierce competitiveness and that’s what I want in this England squad. He was very close to being in the original squad.

“The back row is highly contested for us. And I want back-rowers who are going to compete, really compete, because the level of back rows of the teams in the Six Nations is phenomenal. Look at the Ireland back row.

“I want the back row forwards who are going to run, who are going to hit and link attack. And I think he does that. I think we got some good back rows who do that, I’m looking forward to working with them in the next two weeks, ahead of that first Test.”

Pollock can give back row a shot in the arm

There is no room left on the Henry Pollock hype train, because this first senior call-up does not feel hasty or undeserving. And even if he does not make a Test debut in Dublin on February 1, which would represent an altogether greater leap of faith from Steve Borthwick, the 20-year-old can invigorate this squad on the eve of a vital campaign.

The past four months, as he has established himself in the Northampton Saints first team following a starring role for England at the Under-20 World Championship, have reinforced Pollock’s standing as a special talent. One can pick out various milestones along that short yet captivating runway to today’s promotion to the Six Nations squad.

Following some promising Premiership performances, he was handed a start for England A against Australia at the Twickenham Stoop while still in his teens. Initially, that might have seemed hurried, but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance.

Pollock promptly capped an all-action effort against Castres with a ferocious try, spinning through three would-be tacklers and causing Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson to swear in the stands.

Two tries in Paris against Stade Français foreshadowed an influential cameo from the bench on Saturday, culminating in the jackal turnover that finally vanquished Munster. Pollock boasts athleticism, skill and tenacity as well as a habit of producing highlights that are shared far and wide across social media.

Yet he also possesses an innate steel, apparent in his actions and in his spiky attitude. The best illustration of this came in Pretoria when he started Saints’ defeat of the Bulls. Pollock held firm in some fearful collisions and conjured crafty turnovers. There were a few tasty exchanges with Cameron Hanekom, who had become a Springbok the previous month.

Pollock will head to Girona at the tail of a competitive back-row pecking order, but is just the sort of character likely to disregard reputations on the training field and rip into the action. Wind him up and watch him go. On the back of a 2024 that comprised seven losses from 12 Tests, maybe England need some swagger and self-confidence around the place.

Ben Earl might well be one to benefit from a touch of tough love. He seems under greater pressure for his England place, even with Sam Underhill missing. Tom Willis has been at the base of the Saracens scrum and Ben Curry is comfortably the Premiership’s form openside flanker. Perhaps Earl, a less natural jackaller than both Curry or Pollock, needs to rub shoulders with a younger buck to be reminded of the hunger that he exuded to jump the queue in 2023.

Borthwick should be applauded for reshuffling and refreshing his injury-hit squad with call-ups. Ben Spencer was surely close to Jack van Poortvliet, whom he has replaced, in the first place. Raffi Quirke is an explosive wildcard of a scrum-half. Whenever he strings together games, England recognition becomes a possibility because of his distinctive running threat.

Curtis Langdon deserves a shot in the absence of Jamie George. The hooker also excelled for Saints against the Bulls and was among the very best players in what has probably been the best Premiership match of the season to date; a replay of last term’s final between Northampton and Bath.

Like both Pollock and Langdon, Arthur Clark started for England A two months ago. The 23-year-old lock, an imposing presence who could eventually ease the reliance on George Martin, has been among the success stories of an encouraging season at Gloucester. His inclusion is an endorsement of Borthwick’s planning behind the scenes and how an aligned pathway has become stronger and more coherent.

Certainly, no time is being wasted in pushing through the reigning under-20 world champions. Asher Opoku-Fordjour is in the main squad and could win a second cap against Ireland. Afolabi Fasogbon was named in a group of injured players that will rehabilitate under England’s watch.

Pollock, invited to an alignment camp by Borthwick earlier this month, still qualifies for under-20 action and was being considered for the captaincy this year. He could still feature in the age-grade Six Nations or in another England A fixture against Ireland on February 23 at Ashton Gate.

Before that, at the very least, he will keep the seniors on his toes and prepare them well for Dublin. And who knows? Pollock’s inevitable senior debut could, like most achievements in his career to date, arrive sooner than expected.