England Rugby Team Announces Squad Changes for South Africa Match

England have put their faith in Saracens’ new signing George Martin and his former Leicester clubmate Jack van Poortvliet in a reshuffled starting XV to face South Africa this weekend. There are five changes to the line-up that narrowly lost 48-46 to France in the final round of the Six Nations, with George Furbank, Manny Feyi-Waboso and Tom Curry also recalled.

Martin fills the sizeable gap left by absent skipper Maro Itoje while Van Poortvliet has been picked ahead of Northampton’s Alex Mitchell and Bath’s Ben Spencer. Furbank and Feyi-Waboso replace Elliot Daly and Tom Roebuck respectively with Curry selected at flanker ahead of Guy Pepper and Henry Pollock for the inaugural round of the new Nations Championship.

There had been calls for Northampton’s Pollock to start in the back-row but Steve Borthwick has instead backed the experience of Curry and Ben Earl with Pollock and Pepper on the bench. Significantly Ollie Chessum will again wear the No 6 jersey as England look to counter the physicality and lineout threats of a powerful Springbok pack.

Furbank, meanwhile, will be making his first start since November 2024 while Feyi-Waboso sat out this year’s Six Nations through injury. Borthwick is clearly hoping both players add attacking impetus to an England side that has lost its last four Tests on the trot and last won at Ellis Park in 1972.

“Playing South Africa at Ellis Park is one of the great Tests in world rugby and an opportunity we’re excited to embrace,” said Borthwick. “We’ve prepared well since we arrived here last week and I sense a real excitement within the squad to get our Nations Championship campaign under way.”

From Johannesburg England are scheduled to fly back to face Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium before heading to Santiago del Estero to face Argentina on 18 July.