England have long had plenty of options to choose from at scrum-half; picking the right one has been a topic that has split opinion, however.
Even Steve Borthwick’s predecessors had to choose between two centurions in Ben Youngs and Danny Care, and there is a similar level of competition with the current generation. A general hierarchy has emerged over the past 18 months, though, which could well take England to the 2027 World Cup.
So here is what that England scrum-half hierarchy may look like among those players who have already pulled on the white jersey.
The players will be ranked in three tiers: ‘locked in’ – those not only guaranteed to make an England squad, but very likely to start, ‘in the mix’ – those who could make their way into Borthwick’s wider squad with a strong start to the season, and ‘work to do’ – those who are capped but largely out of contention currently.
England
Australia
Locked in
Alex Mitchell
The clear favourite at No.9 in the Borthwick era and rightly so. Selected for all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions this year – on the bench – and has the added bonus of having a strong relationship with his Northampton Saints team-mate Fin Smith at fly-half. Mitchell’s importance to the England team was highlighted in 2024, when he was absent from their dismal Autumn Nations Series campaign.
In the mix
Ben Spencer
While England did struggle without Mitchell in 2024, they had no such problems at the end of last season with their 2-0 series win over Argentina. Off the back of a sensational campaign with Bath, their captain Spencer was chosen to start both contests with the Pumas in La Plata and San Juan. Two assured performances may have skyrocketed the 33-year-old up the pecking order following a Six Nations where it looked as though he had been exiled. However, Borthwick may view the role of a starting scrum-half and a replacement scrum-half very differently. Thus, this makes his standing in these rankings unique as he may well be regarded as the best option to start in Mitchell’s absence, but not necessarily the best ‘finisher’ to back him up on the bench.
Jack van Poortvliet
Whether Mitchell is starting or Spencer, van Poortvliet has emerged as the preferred ‘finisher’ from the bench, and that looks like his role for the coming season. His match-winning try against the Pumas – a support line, but an astute one – may have only reinforced that reputation. One of the three options in England’s 36-man training squad recently, the Leicester Tigers star is likely to start on the bench for England this autumn ahead of Spencer. Then again, if Mitchell is granted some rest after the Lions series, it would not be surprising if the Bath skipper gets the nod to start.
Harry Randall
Called upon as a ‘finisher’ while van Poortvliet recovered from an injury at the start of the Six Nations, but found himself out of matchday squads come the end of the Championship. Returned to Test rugby with a try-scoring cameo from the bench against the USA. However, at this moment in time, the 27-year-old probably needs to finesse parts of his game to get his nose in front of his rivals and unshackle himself from the reputation of being a lively option that adds pace to an England match from the bench and into a No.9 that can control a Test match from the start.
Work to do
Raffi Quirke
A devastating run of injuries has not only seen Quirke fall out of contention for England, but he is no longer the preferred starting No.9 at Sale Sharks. An injury-free campaign is what the 24-year-old so desperately needs to put himself back in the shop window for club and country.