Mitchell and Marchant desperate to grab second chances

MARSEILLE, France : When Eddie Jones was in charge of England Alex Mitchell and Joe Marchant pretty much resigned themselves to watching the Rugby World Cup from TV, yet, given a new lease of life under Steve Borthwick, both will start Saturday's game against Argentina.

Mitchell cut it the finest, from being dropped from the original squad a month ago, called up to replace the injured Jack van Poortvliet then "training his way" past uber-experienced duo Ben Youngs and Danny Care to earn the starting number nine shirt for only the second time in a career of six caps.

"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, hasn’t it, a bit weird," Mitchell told journalists after getting a first feel of the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Friday.

"Out of the squad and now back in and getting a shot tomorrow. I am just massively excited at getting an opportunity to play and putting my hand up.

"As a kid it’s a thing you dream of, playing at the top of the game, so to start the first World Cup game is a massive honour."

Jones famously refused to countenance three scrumhalves in his squads and paid the price when he was forced to fly out Ben Spencer as emergency cover for the final four years ago when Willi Heinz got injured.

Borthwick has gone down the more traditional three nines route, but even then Mitchell was initially out of the frame for France. Borthwick, however, told him to stay fit, keep working and to be ready as "anything can happen" and sure enough, Van Poortvliet's injury opened the door.

"I stayed ready then got called to come in, I trained hard and tried to put my hand up again," said Mitchell, 26, whose only previous start came in last month's defeat by Fiji.

That was a fourth successive flat warm-up display by England and fans will