Borthwick to surprise with new midfield combination against Wallabies?
SPOTLIGHT: England scrumhalf Alex Mitchell has thrown his backing behind a club teammate to be comfortable in a new role for the national side.
Mitchell believes Northampton teammate Tommy Freeman will have no trouble playing at outside centre should the wing be moved into a different position in England’s backline for their Nations Series opener against Australia at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Freeman has won the majority of his 21 caps as a wing, where he also made three Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions during the combined side’s recent 2-1 series win in Australia.
But England coach Steve Borthwick has been tipped to move him into midfield for this weekend’s match with the Wallabies.
The 24-year-old Freeman featured at outside centre for England against Wales in March following an injury to Ollie Lawrence.
Mitchell scored four tries for Northampton against Saracens in the PREM last week, with scrumhalf Mitchell telling reporters on Monday: “Tommy’s confidence is through the roof and his form is amazing.
“He will be as good at No.13 [outside centre] as he is on the wing, and it’s going to be exciting to see him go there and see how he pushes on.
“It’s a different position and he appreciates that, but not too much changes with him – he will just want to get the ball in his hands and try to get over people and get past people.
“He’s got the speed, the power, the height. He understands the game.
“We know that if he puts that all together, he’s one hell of a player. He’s showing that at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Luke Cowan-Dickie is set to join England’s 50-cap club after injury and a recent encounter with disciplinary authorities left him fearing he would never reach the milestone.
The hooker, who made his Test debut in 2015, suffered nerve damage in his right arm two years ago after an error during neck surgery, and it was some 16 months before he could play again.
A case of the heart condition atrial fibrillation when playing for Sale also raised concerns, while last week he faced a disciplinary hearing after receiving a 20-minute red card for a dangerous tackle on Saracens’ Tom Willis.
The charges against the 32-year-old British and Irish Lions international were dropped, however.
“I’ve stuck around – they don’t call me the cockroach for no reason!” said Cowan-Dickie
He added, “My pain threshold is decent, so I can crack on through most things.
“I’m just thankful. Playing for England once is a dream, so potentially playing my 50th it’s like ‘wow’, who would have thought it?”
