England team v South Africa: Winners and losers as ‘prolific try scorer’ barges down door while centurion shown ‘no mercy’
England team: Winners and losers as 'prolific try scorer' barges down door while centurion shown 'no mercy'
Steve Borthwick has announced his England team to face South Africa in the Nations Championship clash at Ellis Park.
Here are our winners and losers from the selection:
Winners
Jack van Poortvliet: It’s a rare start for the Leicester Tigers number nine, who has the opportunity to put down a marker against the world champions. He was once England’s number one choice at scrum half, but after injury caused him to drop out of the squad ahead of the 2023 World Cup, he failed to regain his position off Alex Mitchell. The Northampton Saints scrum-half has now returned from injury himself, which has resulted in JVP being given the reins while he waits patiently on the bench. England have several scrum-halves in waiting, so an impressive performance this weekend could go a long way for the Tiger.
George Furbank: Recently back from injury, Furbank has been playing for Northampton Saints like he’s never been away. In June, he helped his side win their second PREM title in three years and has been rewarded with the starting full-back jersey ahead of rival Freddie Steward. His inclusion, plus Marcus Smith’s appearance from the bench, gives a clear indication that Borthwick is favouring the more attack-minded players.
George Martin: Another player back from a long-term injury, the giant lock missed the entire first half of the season. Returning only in April, he made three appearances for Tigers from the bench and started in four, including their PREM semi-final loss to Saints. He returned to international action just last month, putting in a solid performance for England XV in their loss to the France XV. The absence of Maro Itoje this summer, as well as Ollie Chessum’s relocation to the flank, could give Martin some really vital game time at the top level.
Cadan Murley: The Harlequins star has been banging on the England door for quite some time, and after sneaking through numerous times, he’s now barged it open. The 26-year-old winger has been one of the most prolific try scorers in the game for a good few years now, and deservedly gets his opportunity to play against the very best. A natural try scorer; in his six senior appearances so far, he’s scored four tries, while for England ‘A’ he’s scored three in four.
Injury returnees: Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Guy Pepper all return from injury to take their place in the squad. Genge hasn’t played since Bristol Bears’ impressive victory over Bath in round 17 of the Gallagher PREM, but slots straight back into action at loosehead. Cowan-Dickie, injured in April, takes his place on the bench alongside Pepper, who was injured while playing against Genge in May.
Tom Curry: The back-row is arguably England’s strongest position, so to secure a starting spot indicates a serious level of ability, and not many come better than Tom Curry. One of the stars of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, the Sale Sharks man has beaten rising star Henry Pollock to the shirt. His history with South Africa won’t go unnoticed either, as he looks to exact revenge over the Springboks following the alleged racism controversy during the 2023 World Cup.
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Losers
Ted Hill: What does Ted Hill need to do to convince Borthwick to put him in the team? He made his debut all the way back in 2018, but has failed to make more than five Test appearances since. His physical ability is second to none, his performances for Bath have been excellent, and he is a very amicable person to play with. The main issue he likely faces is a lack of game time due to Bath’s rotation strategy, but that shouldn’t cause too much of an issue when it comes to gameday selection, unless he struggles to remain match-fit, which by all accounts, he doesn’t. Even his ability to slot into the second-row appears to have been overlooked, with Charlie Ewels chosen to warm the bench instead, while club teammate Pepper covers his flank.
Omitted centres: Max Ojomoh and Henry Slade can be rightly aggrieved to see a winger selected in their position against the greatest team in the world. Even though Tommy Freeman is an excellent player, without a recognised midfielder set to replace him, questions will be raised if either he or Seb Atkinson get injured during the match. Ben Earl and Pollock could certainly do a job in the backs, but defending at 13 is a whole different ball game, one that Earl has previously admitted he struggled with.
Ben Spencer: He’s been one of the best players in the PREM for quite some time, but at the international level, he often fails to make quite the same impact. A quieter man in general, he captains his club side with ease, but doesn’t appear to have quite the same control with England. Borthwick has selected Van Poortvliet to partner with Fin Smith, likely due to Smith’s playmaking ability, in which he can organise the game from JVP to play off. Spencer tends to perform better when he’s in control of the attack, which would lend him to a partnership with Marcus Smith, who excels when given freedom. That’s why it’s surprising that Spencer isn’t on the bench, unless Marcus is expected to come on late in the game at full-back.
Freddie Steward: You’ve got to feel sorry for Steward at this point. After being touted as England’s long-term full-back at such an early age, it’s been a major fall-off for the 25-year-old. He’s played almost half a century of games for the national side, but he has now lost his place in the 23 thanks to the return of Furbank. Besides his impressive work in the air, Steward’s defensive capabilities have been questioned in recent times, particularly his abilities one-on-one. If he’s unable to make a real positive impact this summer, he could see his international ambitions disappear ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Overlooked debutants: There are many potential debutants in the squad this summer, but none will be tested by the Springboks this weekend. Maybe that’s a good thing, actually? Well, whether good or bad, fans will have to wait to see Noah Caluori, Greg Fisilau, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela in an England shirt, while Benhard Janse van Rensburg remains ineligible until July 8.
George Ford: Another player who can never remain comfortable in the England squad. Throughout his entire international career, he’s been shifted in and out of the starting XV with no mercy. In his younger years, it was the placement of Owen Farrell that would dictate his inclusion, then as he got older, it was the young Marcus Smith; and now – Fin Smith. Frustratingly for Ford, there’s no spot on the bench, as Marcus Smith and Furbank can both cover 10 if required. Giving way to the younger Smith must be frustrating, but as a similar player to himself, it’s clear that Ford still fits the mould of a Borthwick flyhalf.