Rating every England player from the 2026 Nations Championship: Fin Smith ‘settles key debate’ as Henry Pollock leaves Steve Borthwick with ‘major dilemma’
Fin Smith (left) and Henry Pollock (right) were among England's key performers in the Nations Championship
Following the conclusion of the Southern Hemisphere leg of the 2026 Nations Championship, we are looking at every player’s performance from across the 12 competing teams. Here’s how we rated Steve Borthwick’s England stars.
Outside backs
Marcus Smith: Arguably his best run of Tests in a long time. Will he still be yearning for a proper run at fly-half? Of course, but he did very well at full-back in the midst of yet another injury crisis here and that will put him right in the mix to start again come November. The most pleasing aspect was the way he improved with each Test, too, growing more and more comfortable both in the position and into his role within the new attack, where he was given a bit more freedom to pop up in different spots and target broken field. His cameo at scrum-half also adds another string to his bow. 7
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Not the best of times against the Boks, granted, but recovered expertly well to end with a bang. The slight shift in his role across the Tests, being given that sort of freedom to come off his wing and just get his hands on the ball as much as possible, really seemed to bring the best out of him and allowed him to become a point of difference in the finale against Los Pumas. That should serve as an advert for how he needs to be utilised by England moving forward. 8
Tommy Freeman: England certainly got the best out of him when he reverted back to the wing, which could see him stay there for the time being. The aerial game was seemingly built around him against both Fiji and Argentina, bagging a try for himself and playing a role in M. Smith’s poacher’s effort too, but also showed some lovely flashes ball-in-hand across the turf too. 7
Cadan Murley: Kept under wraps against the Springboks in their opening Test, before later seeing his campaign ended through injury. 5
Noah Caluori: Did not look out of place at this level, which bodes well for the future. Could easily have played it safe on debut against Fiji, but he took the positive option and went looking for work wherever possible. That paid off, too, as he grabbed a try and an assist to cap a special day. Was given barely a minute against Argentina, but again made himself busy. 6
Centres
Henry Slade: Carried his PREM form over to the England shirt, in a timely reminder of what he can do at this level. It wasn’t anything overly jazzy from the Exeter man, but everything he did had a positive effect on his team in attack and showed some proper steel in defence to boot. Will be hard to take him out of the side now, you feel. 7
Seb Atkinson: Easily his best campaign with the Test team to date, as he looks to have settled nicely into his role. Found himself at the heart of the attacking system with his ability to step in at first receiver, which in turn saw F. Smith sit in those slightly deeper pockets of space, and backed that up with some strong work in defence. Should be pleased with his campaign. 7
Benhard Janse van Rensburg: Not quite the explosion onto the Test stage it threatened to be before the tour, but comes out with credit in the bank after his maiden caps. His try against Fiji, which was his first touch in Test rugby, was probably the highlight, but his dual-threat of playmaking and carrying only aided England’s attack at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Looked to carry that on against Argentina in round three, too, but his outing was ended by a nasty head injury. Overall, though, some nice signs from the Bristol man. 6
Half-backs
Fin Smith: This felt like a big campaign for both him and the number 10 shirt as a whole, given the fierce debate around it, but he has certainly settled that now. F. Smith just held a vice-grip over the England attack all campaign, combining intent to play ball-in-hand rugby with some clever kicks designed to extend plays or shift momentum. His defence was also very impressive, which is an often overlooked part of his game. The 10 shirt was an area of discussion ahead of the tour, but he’s likely going to get it tailored before the November Tests. 8
Jack van Poortvliet: Another who had arguably his best run at Test level for a good while, and has potentially put himself into pole position for November as a result. Just seemed to execute the nuts and bolts of his role wonderfully, combining well with F. Smith and Atkinson in a new-look playmaking axis while also injecting tempo into the attack wherever possible. It was also pleasing to see him looking to snipe around the fringes of the ruck again, which in turn added another layer of threat to the England attack. 7
Alex Mitchell: Returned ahead of schedule from a hamstring injury, only to cruelly suffer a similar blow in his one and only appearance on tour. Also given a tough time against the Springboks, with his team on the back foot. 5
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Ben Spencer: Given a run off the bench late in the day against Argentina, but did come into the tour with the hint of an injury issue. 5
Back-row
Ben Earl: You start to run out of ways to describe Earl’s impact on this England side, really, and he was again massive this July. As we’ve come to expect, really took the brunt of the carrying load for his side, both in the loose and the tight, and was very much in the thick of their defensive work as well. Superb stuff from the ever-impressive forward. 8
Guy Pepper: Continues to grow into his role within this England side. Added a real layer of threat in and around the breakdown across his outings, and yet again stepped up to the plate in defence. Far from flashy, but the way he went about his business would have pleased the head coach. 7
Ollie Chessum: His shift to the back-row has done him no harm at all, with Chessum going very well this series. While it potentially happens away from view, the Leicester man is world-class in the tight exchanges and ran a tight ship at the lineout as well. The fact he played every minute possible reflects just how important he is within this England side. 7
Henry Pollock: There will continue to be a debate around how and when England use him, but that is probably a reflection of how good he’s been this summer. Was potentially a touch quieter against the Boks, but showed just how unique a threat he is against both Fiji and Argentina with two impactful displays off the bench. His work this July should leave Borthwick with a major dilemma looking towards November. 7
Tom Curry: Solid and industrious efforts across the three Tests, but never quite set the pitch alight. 6
Locks
Alex Coles: A big summer for the lock, who looks to have really nailed himself into the starting XV now. Just consistently ran his blood to water across the three Tests, stepping up as England’s main defensive leader with a staggering 53 tackles while looking to get involved in the loose. Continues to get better and better with each campaign. 7
George Martin: Made a welcome return to the Test stage after a lengthy spell away, but didn’t seem to miss a beat. Never one to shy away from the ugly work, Martin quickly stepped up into that enforcer role he did so well previously, and added some proper ballast to the pack in the process. 7
Charlie Ewels: Limited to just a brief cameo against the Springboks in the opening round. Didn’t do much wrong, though. 5
Front-row
Joe Heyes: Exceptional again from the tighthead, who is in some form at Test level right now. His work around the park rivals that of any back-rower in this side, particularly in defence, all while contributing massively to a dominant scrum. It’s a sight to behold at times. 8
Asher Opoku-Fordjour: Will be pretty pleased with his work this July. Scrummaged well at both loosehead and tighthead, bringing that same attacking intent on both sides, while looking to get around the park. Did miss the Argentina Test through injury, mind, but ends in good credit. 6
George Kloska: After previous flirtations with the senior side, Kloska was finally handed his Test bow. He couldn’t have wished for a better debut against Fiji, but Los Pumas was a slightly harder task given he was scrummaging a man down. All in all, though, can be pretty pleased with his efforts, and it bodes well for further involvement. 6
Jamie George: A rock of consistency for his side across the three Tests, leading them well throughout the campaign. Once again spot on at the lineout, as he has been across his career, and contributed to a pretty strong scrum as well. 7
Luke Cowan-Dickie: Nuts and bolts stuff from the hooker. Didn’t take a backwards step around the park and did pretty well at the set-piece too. 6
Ellis Genge: Big mister stuff from the ever-impressive loosehead. Scrummaged superbly across the campaign, often leading the snap to get his side on the front-foot, while bringing serious physicality in the tight exchanges around the park, particularly in the carry where he continues to be a key asset. 8
Beno Obano: It’s been a long time between drinks at Test level for the Bath loosehead, but he was limited to just one appearance off the bench against the Springboks before picking up a tour-ending injury. A real shame, given he’s been among the best props in the league this season. 5
Emmanuel Iyogun: Deservedly given his Test debut after banging on the door for a good while. He did show promise in his maiden outing, particularly in the loose, but had his day spoiled by a yellow card. 5
