At some stage there will be better times ahead for English rugby. They have an encouraging amount of young talent, a decent age profile and another 15 months to develop prior to the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Get it right \u2013 and they have a more than promising draw \u2013 and the sunlit uplands could yet be glimpsed in Australia next year.<\/p>\n
That, at least, is the cosy scenario. First, though, there is the equivalent of a precarious looking rope bridge to be crossed by those named in Steve Borthwick\u2019s squad for this summer\u2019s inaugural leg of the Nations Championship. Three Tests in three continents in successive weeks with a squad lacking its regular captain and on a four-match losing streak is not the idyllic travel brochure it might have been.<\/p>\n
How do we know the England management are not entirely confident about what will unfold? By the reappointment of the 35-year-old Jamie George as captain in the absence of Maro Itoje, who is rightly being given the chance to recharge<\/a> his batteries. As with Joe Root and English cricket, a \u201csafe pair of hands\u201d tends to be shorthand for \u201cwhat if the wheels fall off?\u201d<\/p>\n A better decision might have been to appoint Leicester\u2019s Ollie Chessum, certain to start and a leader visibly on the rise. George and one or two other senior players could have lent unselfish support and an image of England drawing a line under the recent past and pushing ahead with renewed vigour could have been projected instead.<\/p>\n Ollie Chessum is a leader on the rise. Photograph: JP Fletcher\/Action Plus\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n On the plus side there are five uncapped players in the 36-strong party to face South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in the shape of Noah Caluori, Greg Fisilau, Benhard Janse van Rensburg<\/a>, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela, although Van Rensburg is ineligible to play against South Africa, the land of his birth, because he will not be qualified via residency until the following week. The recall of the Bath centre Max Ojomoh is also welcome but there is no place for the young Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland<\/a>, unfortunately injured in Saturday\u2019s Prem final.<\/p>\n The big question is whether or not the squad can collectively withstand the assorted challenges ahead. With good reason Borthwick is calling it a \u201cvery demanding\u201d schedule, highlighting the extensive travel and changes in climatic conditions, but he is hoping his squad will respond. \u201cI am sure by preparing well and continuing to demand the highest standards from one another every day, we will be well placed to meet the challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Quick GuideEngland’s Nations Championship squadShow<\/p>\n Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens, capt), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), George Kloska (Bristol Bears), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby). Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n Chessum may well be entrusted with the on-field captaincy at some stage \u2013 it is hard to see George starting all three Tests in Johannesburg, Liverpool (they face Fiji at Everton\u2019s Hill Dickinson Stadium) and Santiago del Estero \u2013 but the recall of George as skipper, in common with Root, feels as much a nod to England\u2019s recent travails as anything else.<\/p>\n While everyone in English rugby has absolute respect for the vast contribution the admirable George has made during his career, he was summarily ditched as England captain prior to last year\u2019s Six Nations because Borthwick was keen to change the mood. The management\u2019s desire to pursue bolder tactics is oft stated but the deflating defeat suffered by an England XV in Vannes last Friday suggested there remains a way to go.<\/p>\n Noah Caluori and Benhard Janse van Rensburg are two of the upcapped players to be named in Steve Borthwick\u2019s squad. Photograph: Franco Arland\/The RFU Collection\/Getty Images<\/p>\n There is also the brutal truth that even some of England\u2019s most impressive up-and-comers have had demanding years already. Take the fly-half Fin Smith who admitted that after Northampton\u2019s Prem final win that he has had to dig deep mentally after a difficult British & Irish Lions tour. \u201cIt\u2019s been a tough season,\u201d he said. \u201cI probably just lost a bit of confidence and had to really try to get myself up for games at times. I was probably feeling like I had to fake it a little bit.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s the job of being a sportsman. You have the highs and the lows and really dive deep into that emotional store. It\u2019s not been the easiest season and I\u2019ve probably enjoyed my rugby slightly more than I have this year. But I won\u2019t dwell on it too much. I\u2019ll be pretty happy looking back now with the trophy and the [winners] medal.\u201d<\/p>\n More immediately there are also a few hangovers to shift before Northampton\u2019s six representatives \u2013 there is no Fraser Dingwall or George Hendy \u2013 jump on the plane. Smith was keen to drain every drop out of Saints\u2019 celebrations, having held back slightly after his club\u2019s previous title win in 2024, but promised he would \u201cput on a brave hungover face\u201d when he met up with the rest of the squad. Whether that is the ideal preparation for facing the world champions is another matter but, to borrow professional rugby\u2019s wearily familiar mantra, it is what it is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At some stage there will be better times ahead for English rugby. 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Backs: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers).<\/p>\n