Brighter days may be coming for English rugby. There is a healthy crop of young talent, a sensible age profile and another 15 months to fine-tune before the 2027 World Cup in Australia, where a kind draw could open the door. But before any of that, Steve Borthwick's squad must first survive a tightrope of a summer.
Key takeaways
- Jamie George, 35, is handed the England captaincy again as Maro Itoje is rested.
- England face three Tests on three continents in three weeks — South Africa, Fiji and Argentina — on a four-match losing run.
- Five uncapped players are named in the 36-man squad, though Janse van Rensburg can't face his native South Africa.
- Fin Smith admits he ran on empty late in the season, having to "fake it" to get up for games.
The inaugural leg of the Nations Championship asks England to play three Tests on three continents in three successive weeks — without their regular captain and while riding a four-match losing run. It is, to put it mildly, not the gentle warm-up the fixture list might have offered.
How the new competition works
The Nations Championship, created jointly by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, replaces the old model of multi-Test summer tours. Twelve teams are split into two groups of six: the Six Nations sides in one, and New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Japan and Fiji on the other. Each nation meets every team in the opposite group once — the Europeans travel south in July, and the southern sides make the return trip in November.
For England, that means South Africa, Fiji and Argentina now, followed by Australia, Japan and New Zealand on home soil in the autumn. Wins are worth four points, with bonus points on offer, and everything builds towards a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, from 27 to 29 November — where the two group winners contest the title.
How the rot set in
The losing run is all the more jarring given where England stood at the start of the year. They went into the Six Nations on the back of 11 straight victories. After an opening win over Wales, however, the wheels came off: a 31-20 defeat at Murrayfield, where Scotland led 17-0 inside 16 minutes, was followed by a 42-21 thrashing by Ireland at Twickenham.
Worse was to come in Rome, where Italy won 23-18 to beat England for the first time at the 33rd attempt, with sin-bins for Sam Underhill and Itoje proving decisive. Discipline was a recurring theme — by that stage England had collected seven yellow cards and a red, the worst record in the championship. The campaign ended with a thrilling but ultimately painful 48-46 loss to France in Paris, settled by Thomas Ramos's penalty with the last kick of the tournament.
A "safe pair of hands"
The clearest sign that the management is bracing for turbulence is the decision to hand the captaincy back to 35-year-old Jamie George, with Maro Itoje — quite reasonably — given time to recharge. As with Joe Root and English cricket, "a safe pair of hands" can double as code for "what if it all goes wrong?"
Few could begrudge Itoje the break. The 31-year-old lock has logged more Test minutes than any other player in the world over the past decade, led the British & Irish Lions to a series win in Australia last summer and has been grieving the death of his mother. With second rows Alex Coles and George Martin both coming through recent games without fitness concerns, Borthwick had the cover to stand him down.
There was a bolder option available. Leicester's Ollie Chessum, a certain starter and a leader visibly on the up, could have been promoted, with George and other senior heads offering support — a chance to draw a line under the recent past and signal a fresh start. Instead, the recall of George, like Root's, reads as much as an acknowledgement of England's current struggles as anything else.
It is worth remembering that George, who led England throughout 2024, was abruptly stripped of the captaincy before last year's Six Nations as Borthwick sought a change of mood. He wanted a captain who could last the full 80 minutes — something a hooker, usually replaced early in the second half, rarely does. No one doubts George's enormous contribution over the years — but the limp defeat for an England XV in Vannes last Friday hinted that the promised shift towards bolder rugby still has some way to travel.
That uncapped fixture finished France XV 35-19 England XV, the hosts running in five tries to England's three from Cadan Murley, Marcus Smith and Max Ojomoh, with debutant Janse van Rensburg spilling a clear chance under the posts.
Five new faces in a 36-man party
There is genuine upside elsewhere. Five uncapped players have been named in the 36-strong squad to face South Africa, Fiji and Argentina: Noah Caluori, Greg Fisilau, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela. Janse van Rensburg, though, cannot face South Africa — the country of his birth — as his residency qualification only completes the following week.
The teenage Saracens wing Noah Caluori has earned his place the hard way, finishing the season as the Premiership's leading try-scorer and catching the eye on his first England outing in Vannes. Number eight Fisilau and props Kloska and Sela add fresh options up front, while the Bristol centre Janse van Rensburg becomes eligible on 8 July. Borthwick described the group as a good blend of experience and emerging talent — though not everyone made the cut, with wing Tom Roebuck omitted despite starting against France in the Six Nations.
The recall of Bath centre Max Ojomoh is another welcome touch, though there is no spot for promising Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland, injured in Saturday's Premiership final.
England's July fixtures
- Sat 4 July — South Africa v England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
- Sat 11 July — Fiji v England, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool (an 'away' fixture on English soil)
- Sat 18 July — Argentina v England, Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero
"I am sure that by preparing well and continuing to demand the highest standards from one another every day, we will be well placed to meet the challenge."
— Steve Borthwick, England head coach
Borthwick was flagging the gruelling travel and shifting climates. Chessum may yet be trusted with the on-field captaincy at some point across the tour.
Fin Smith: "I had to fake it"
The harsh reality is that even England's brightest young players are running on fumes. Fly-half Fin Smith, fresh from Northampton's Premiership final triumph, admitted he had to dig deep mentally after a draining British & Irish Lions tour.
"It's been a tough season. I probably lost a bit of confidence and had to really try to get myself up for games at times — I was feeling like I had to fake it a little bit. But that's the job of being a sportsman: the highs and the lows. I won't dwell on it. I'll be pretty happy looking back now with the trophy and the medal."
— Fin Smith, England fly-half
Smith at least signed off in style. Northampton beat Exeter 26-17 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday to lift the Premiership trophy — a result that should send him into the tour with a little of that lost confidence restored.
Before Northampton's six representatives — Fraser Dingwall and George Hendy miss out — board the plane, there are a few celebrations to shake off. Smith, determined to savour the title fully this time, promised to "put on a brave hungover face" when he links up with the squad. Whether that is ideal preparation for the world champions is another question entirely — but, in rugby's weary mantra, it is what it is.
The bigger picture
For all the short-term jitters, the long view remains encouraging. The 2027 World Cup runs from 1 October to 13 November, and England have been drawn in Pool F alongside Wales, Tonga and Zimbabwe. Their campaign opens against Tonga in Brisbane, moves on to Zimbabwe in Adelaide and concludes with a potential pool decider against Wales at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Survive this summer with a few new names blooded, and that path could look very inviting.
