Captain Jamie George has backed England’s inexperienced replacement forwards to swing the match their way in the final quarter of Saturday’s Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Henry Pollock and Guy Pepper have four, six, 10 and 12 caps respectively.<\/p>\n
While second row Charlie Ewels has 34 England appearances to his name, he has been used sparingly over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n
“They’re frothing at the mouth for this opportunity,” George told Rugby Union Weekly.<\/a><\/p>\n “A lot of those guys have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time.”<\/p>\n Pollock has become the focus of South African attention in the build-up to the match, with his exuberant on-pitch persona riling some Springbok fans.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old flanker posted a picture from his Johannesburg-bound plane last week, posing with his fist clenched, the caption “see you soon ZA [South Africa]” and an emoji of a drop of blood., external<\/a><\/p>\n George says that a clear gameplan, aiming to build on an impressive performance in defeat by France last time out, <\/a>means the replacements won’t be overawed by the prospect of playing out the final stages against the two-time reigning world champions.<\/p>\n “It’s not just throwing them in at the deep end,” added George.<\/p>\n “We give them the understanding of how we’re going to go and do it. This is what’s required of you. And then they’ve got a better understanding of where we need to be and what they need to do.<\/p>\n “That then generates excitement rather than any sort of being scared of the occasion.”<\/p>\n England’s bench contrasts to a strategy that head coach Steve Borthwick employed in the midst of a winning streak in 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n