Saints get good news on Mitchell injury as England boss Borthwick delivers update

Mitchell picked up a knee problem that forced him to miss last weekend's Guinness Six Nations defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield.

Some reports had suggested that he was set for a lay-off that would last between six and 12 weeks.

That would have had an impact on Saints, who return to Gallagher Premiership action with a game at Bristol Bears on March 22 and who face a huge Investec Champions Cup last-16 tie against Munster in early April.

But Borthwick says the news on Mitchell's injury is not as bad as first feared.

And it even appears the scrum-half could feature again for England during the Six Nations.

The Red Rose conclude their campaign with games against Ireland (March 9) and France (March 16).

And Borthwick said: “We’ve had positive news on Alex Mitchell’s injury, so hopefully he will feature in the latter part of the tournament. Whether that’s the next game or the last one, I’m not sure."