Centre Henry Slade, who did not play a minute of England’s Six Nations campaign earlier this year, has been recalled to the starting line-up to face Fiji on Saturday as head coach Steve Borthwick attempts to avoid a sixth successive Test defeat.
Slade, 33, has previously admitted he was frustrated to be out of England’s midfield equation., external He finished the domestic season in excellent form, leading Exeter to the Prem final.
“You can’t control selection – I’ve always gone back to that over the last few years,” Slade told Rugby Union Weekly.
“You just have to control the controllables, whether that’s in the gym, on the training pitch, and, if you get picked at the weekend at your club, doing well and putting yourself up for selection.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do and thankfully I have got a shot this week.”
Slade, who will win his 76th cap at the weekend, admitted that he has learned to keep Test selection in perspective since making his debut in August 2015.
He made a late run of form to be included in England’s squad for that year’s Rugby World Cup, but only started one game at the 2019 tournament having previously being coach Eddie Jones’ first-choice outside centre.
He was also a shock omission from Borthwick’s squad for France 2023.
“It’s not always been plain sailing in my career,” Slade added.
“I’ve had to come back and fight my way back in. So I guess I’ve had a bit of practice at it, which has maybe helped.”
Slade’s return means Northampton’s Tommy Freeman is deployed in his more accustomed wing position after a year-long experiment to convert him into an outside centre.
Guy Pepper replaces Tom Curry at open-side flanker in the other change to the starting XV, while the uncapped trio of Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori and George Kloska are poised to make their Test debuts off the bench.
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England: M Smith; Freeman, Slade, Atkinson, Feyi-Waboso; F Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Heyes, Coles, Martin, Chessum, Pepper, Earl.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Kloska, Curry, Pollock, Mitchell, Janse van Rensburg, Caluori.
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Slade was a late call-up to the matchday 23 that lost to South Africa last Saturday, filling in on the bench after starting full-back George Furbank was hit by appendicitis.
He replaced injured wing Cadan Murley on 54 minutes, with England finishing the 45-21 defeat by the Springboks with the same backline they have named to start against Fiji.