Six Nations: Ireland v England
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, with live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and highlights on Rugby Special on BBC Two
Hooker Jamie George will miss England’s Six Nations opener against Ireland after dropping out of the squad’s pre-tournament training camp with a hamstring problem.
The former England captain replaced Theo Dan in the second half of Saracens’ Champions Cup pool game on Sunday but the 34-year-old left the pitch in the closing minutes.
His club-mate Dan and Sale’s Luke Cowan-Dickie are now set to contest the starting shirt in Dublin, with Northampton’s Curtis Langdon also now added to the squad.
First-choice scrum-half Alex Mitchell, 27, could also miss the game with a knee problem.
The Northampton player, who missed the autumn Tests with a neck injury, came off late in his side’s win against Munster on Friday.
However Mitchell, unlike George, will travel to the camp in Girona, with England keen to maximise his chances of facing Ireland.
Northampton coach Phil Dowson was optimistic Mitchell would recover in time for the game on 1 February, saying he believed there was “nothing structural” to the injury and it was a soft-tissue problem similar to a “dead leg”.
With Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet also injured, Raffi Quirke and Ben Spencer have been called up to the squad, leaving Harry Randall as the only fit scrum-half from coach Steve Borthwick’s original selection.
In other developments in the squad, back row Henry Pollock – who starred in England’s Under-20 World Cup success last summer – comes in for Alex Dombrandt, while uncapped Gloucester lock Arthur Clark replaces Alex Coles.
Both Coles and Dombrandt also picked up injuries in European action over the weekend.
Dombrandt’s absence leaves Saracens’ Tom Willis as the only specialist number eight in the squad, although Ben Earl, Tom Curry and Chandler Cunningham-South have experience in the position.
George, who has started his country’s last 12 Tests, was replaced as England captain last week by second row Maro Itoje.
Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Arthur Clark (Gloucester), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Ted Hill (Bath), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Curtis Langdon (Northampton), George Martin (Leicester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Bevan Rodd (Sale), Will Stuart (Bath), Tom Willis (Saracens).
Backs: Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Raffi Quirke (Sale), Harry Randall (Bristol), Tom Roebuck (Sale), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath), Freddie Steward (Leicester),
Continuing rehabilitation in Girona: Alex Mitchell (Northampton)
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