Northampton Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell has revealed how he ended up on a night out with fellow England teammates and New Zealand stars after initially going out for a quiet dinner with his partner.
Many have seen the now-famous photos of Ardie Savea, Rieko Ioane, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Blair Kinghorn and others enjoying their time in the United Arab Emirates – but not many know the origin behind the famous link-ups.
Well, appearing on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast with Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, Mitchell has revealed that none of it was planned. “Pollock actually found me and the missus at some restaurant, said Mitchell.
“They’re looking for Mitch on the reservation, and he came in with Guy Pepper and Blair Kinghorn. And then we end up kicking on to another beach club and just bumping into the New Zealand lads. It was quite a loose night,” conceded the 28-year-old.
“Pollock’s like going around chatting to all the boys, but yeah, they were all on great form, the New Zealand lads. I ended up going home like 12am, 1am; they stayed out until 4/5am. It was a very weird night, but yeah, a funny one.”
Ben Youngs poked fun at the situation, saying: “I love that you’ve gone for a quiet night out with the missus, with a few drinks and a decent meal.”
Like a bull in a china shop, Mitchell recounted the actual moment he realised who had arrived. “Pollock comes in filming us, like shouting about the place. I was like, ‘This is a posh restaurant, who is this? Quiet down a bit’.
“But yeah, it was actually really good to see them, a funny night.”
Partnership with Fin Smith
Planet Rugby heard from Northampton Saints fly-half sensation Fin Smith a few months ago on Mitchell’s re-signing and what he thinks of his half-back partner, but what does Mitchell think about Smith? Well, Youngs was sure to ask.
“Classy, confident, skilful, a bit like a leader,” Mitchell said when asked how to describe him, adding: “He’s an old head on young shoulders.”
Speaking about how the relationship has developed, Mitchell continued: “He joined Saints a few years ago now and even in the early days, you could tell he was going to be a quality player.
“He is very mature for his age. I mean, he doesn’t go out for a young lad, he cooks beef Wellingtons with his missus, goes on staycations and all that kind of stuff. So he is growing up way too quick.
“He is a classy operator, a big leader in our squad, and when he talks, everyone listens. So yeah, to have a fly-half like that outside you makes my job really easy. We’re lucky enough to have someone like that for Northampton.”
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