England call up Spencer and Randall after scrum-half injuries

England have reshuffled their squad for the Australia fixture after scrum-halves Alex Mitchell and Archie McParland were ruled out, calling up Ben Spencer and Harry Randall to address the shortage. The selection changes come as England also wait to see whether fly-half Fin Smith can recover from a calf injury in time for the match. England’s squad announcement said Mitchell had a hamstring problem sustained while playing for Northampton Saints against Gloucester and would undergo a scan. McParland was unavailable with a calf injury picked up at England training. Earlier reports had described Mitchell as a major doubt, while the squad announcement listed him as ruled out of selection. The reason for the change in status was not reported. Mitchell left Northampton’s 28-14 win over Gloucester early in the first half. Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said Mitchell had hurt his hamstring but that he did not know how severe the injury was. The scan is expected to provide further information, though no return timetable was given. England have given Fin Smith until Wednesday to demonstrate his fitness for the Australia match. He missed Northampton’s game against Gloucester...