England’s Fiji week has turned into a back-three selection alarm, with Cadan Murley and Freddie Steward both under assessment after the 45-21 defeat by South Africa.
Steve Borthwick is already without George Furbank, who had his appendix removed in Johannesburg before the Springboks match, and the latest doubts around Murley and Steward leave England’s Liverpool plan short of certainty.
Fiji Week Now Carries Aerial Stakes
According to RugbyPass, Murley is nursing a shoulder issue and Steward an ankle problem. Borthwick said he would wait for a full medical picture before deciding whether England need reinforcements for the rest of the tour.
The timing is brutal because the head coach has already identified the contestable-kick battle as a decisive failure at Ellis Park. RugbyPass reported Borthwick’s count that South Africa won seven contestable kicks back, while England reclaimed only a couple.
That makes Steward’s availability especially significant. Without Furbank, England may need his height and kick-coverage against Fiji, yet any compromised ankle would complicate a role built on repeated aerial contests.
It also sharpens the pressure already outlined in our Borthwick Fiji test, with the earlier Furbank appendicitis blow now part of a broader selection squeeze.
The Guardian framed Saturday’s Fiji fixture as a major pressure point after England’s fifth straight Test defeat. For Borthwick, the first fix may be brutally simple: get a fit back three on the field before the game plan can even breathe.
