Borthwick opens a new chapter for England: five debutants in the squad for the Nations Championship
The England rugby team is entering the first edition of the Nations Championship with a significantly mixed squad in which Steve Borthwick has decided to rely on a proven core, but also to open the door to new names. According to England Rugby’s announcement of 22 June 2026, the head coach named 36 players for the summer part of the new international competition, and among them are five rugby players who still do not have an official appearance for the senior national team. The most attention is being drawn by Noah Caluori, the Saracens wing who has long been mentioned as one of the most interesting young attacking prospects in English rugby, while Exeter back-rower Greg Fisilau is also among the newcomers. Alongside them, the squad includes Bristol Bears centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Bristol Bears prop George Kloska and Bath prop Vilikesa Sela.
The team will be led by Jamie George, the experienced Saracens hooker, who once again takes over the captaincy role in a period in which Maro Itoje has been left out for rest and workload management. According to Sky Sports, Itoje has been given a summer break after an exceptionally demanding period, and Borthwick assessed that long-term planning is more important for both the national team and the player than continuing a run without a pause. England Rugby states that the team will gather at the England Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park, the traditional base of the England national team, where it will train until Wednesday before departing for the first match. That schedule underlines how little time remains to get the team coordinated before entering a competition that brings opponents of the highest level from the very beginning.
Five players without an official appearance bring a different profile to the team
Borthwick’s choice of debut candidates shows that England are not entering the Nations Championship only with the goal of a short-term result, but also with the intention of expanding the player base for the next cycle of major competitions. Noah Caluori, the Saracens wing, brings pace and finishing on the outside positions, and his inclusion in the final squad confirms that the coaching staff is ready to test the young player in high-intensity matches. Greg Fisilau of Exeter Chiefs offers athleticism and work rate in the back row, a position where England traditionally have strong competition, but also a constant need for players who can respond to physically demanding international contests. George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela strengthen competition in the front row, which is especially important in a series of matches against teams that place great emphasis on the scrum and the contact area.
The case of Benhard Janse van Rensburg is particularly interesting. Sky Sports states that the Bristol Bears centre has been included in the squad, but also that, according to available information, he becomes eligible to play for England on 8 July, four days after the opening match against South Africa. This means that his official debut, if Borthwick decides to use him, could not come in the first round against the reigning world champions. Janse van Rensburg has already played in an unofficial match for England XV against France XV, but such a fixture does not carry the status of an official Test. His inclusion nevertheless clearly shows that the coaching staff sees him as a realistic option in midfield, especially in matches in which England will need a strong ball-carrier and a player capable of linking attacking phases.
Jamie George as a bridge between experience and change
The appointment of Jamie George as captain gives the squad stability at a moment when the national team is simultaneously facing a new competition, travel between continents and the gradual integration of new players. Sky Sports recalls that George already led England in 12 Test matches during 2024, before Maro Itoje took over the captain’s armband. His experience in the front row and his long-standing role at Saracens make him a logical choice for a period in which Borthwick needs a vocal and authoritative leader on the field, but also a player who can help the younger players adapt to the rhythm of international rugby. In such a context, George is not only a temporary replacement for Itoje, but an important part of the attempt to maintain continuity inside the dressing room.
The decision to rest Maro Itoje will probably also be viewed through the wider debate about the workload of elite rugby players. According to Sky Sports’ report, Borthwick had previously spoken about a demanding year for Itoje, including appearances at the highest level and the need to protect his long-term readiness. In modern international rugby, in which the calendar is increasingly filled with competitive matches, such decisions become just as important as the selection of the starting fifteen itself. England will play in July against opponents who physically punish every weakness in contact, so the decision to shift part of the burden onto other players is both a risk and an investment in squad depth. That is precisely why Borthwick’s list should be read as an attempt to balance immediate competitiveness with long-term management of the national team.
A demanding schedule: South Africa, Fiji and Argentina
According to the schedule published by World Rugby, England will open the summer part of the Nations Championship on 4 July 2026 against South Africa at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, a stadium also known as Ellis Park. It is one of the toughest possible starts for a team entering the tournament with five players without an official appearance, because the Springboks are the reigning world champions and a team that combines a powerful front row, aggressive defence and experience of winning the biggest trophies. For England, it will be a test of endurance, discipline and the ability to maintain structure under pressure. In such a match, Borthwick will have to assess how much space he can give to the new players without losing stability in the key areas of the game.
The second match brings a meeting with Fiji at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, in a contest that is listed in the official schedule as a match in which Fiji are the hosts, although it is played in England. That unusual circumstance is part of the broader commercial and organisational picture of the new competition, which is trying to combine global visibility with traditional Test rugby. Fiji have in recent years built the status of a team that can bring down even the strongest opponents when given space to play, and their combination of physical power, improvisation and speed represents a different challenge from the South African model. England will then travel to Argentina, where a match against the Pumas is scheduled for 18 July at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero. Three matches in different conditions, with changes of climate, travel and different opponent styles, explain why Borthwick emphasised in his statement that the tournament will test the whole group, not only the starting line-up.
The Nations Championship changes the meaning of summer Tests
The Nations Championship is a new biennial competition that changes the structure of the international calendar in men’s rugby. According to World Rugby data, the competition debuts in July 2026 and brings together 12 national teams divided into a northern and southern hemisphere model: the six Six Nations participants and teams from the Rugby Championship group, along with Fiji and Japan. Each team plays three matches in July and three in November, and the results lead towards a final weekend scheduled at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. In this way, the previous series of summer and autumn Tests is transformed into a competition with a table, points and a final ranking, which should increase the sporting and commercial importance of matches that previously often had a friendly or semi-formal character.
For England, this means that every selection decision carries greater weight. In previous cycles, head coaches often used summer tours for experimentation, especially when some of the main players were absent because of rest or injuries. The Nations Championship does not eliminate that space, but narrows it because results are carried into a broader ranking, and the matches are presented as part of a global battle for a new title. In that sense, Borthwick must simultaneously develop Caluori, Fisilau, Janse van Rensburg, Kloska and Sela, while also maintaining the result against teams that will not treat the July fixtures as warm-ups. That is the central challenge of England’s summer: to find minutes for new players without disrupting a system that must withstand the pressure of South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
What the final list of 36 players says
The final list also shows several important directions in Borthwick’s thinking. In the backs, George Ford, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith remain, giving England three different profiles of playmaker and the possibility of adapting tactics depending on the opponent. Alex Mitchell returns after injury problems that had previously limited his national-team continuity, and Jack van Poortvliet is also there, which means competition at scrum-half will be important for the tempo of play. In the outside line are Tommy Freeman, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Cadan Murley, Freddie Steward and Noah Caluori, so Borthwick will be able to choose between security under the high ball, pace on the wing and stronger ball-carrying through contact.
Among the forwards, it is clear that England want to prepare for an exceptionally physical July. Alongside Jamie George, the front row includes Theo Dan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela. In the second and back rows are Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, George Martin, Charlie Ewels, Ted Hill, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Greg Fisilau, Guy Pepper and Henry Pollock, which points to a combination of experience, mobility and youth. RugbyPass states that Ted Hill earned his place after a good performance for England XV against the French selection in Vannes, and his inclusion further increases competition in the area between lock and back row. Such depth will be important because the schedule does not allow for a long recovery, and Borthwick will almost certainly have to rotate in order to maintain intensity.
List of players for the Nations Championship
- Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Arthur Clark, Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Greg Fisilau, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, George Kloska, George Martin, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Vilikesa Sela.
- Backs: Seb Atkinson, Noah Caluori, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Max Ojomoh, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet.
England Rugby states that George is marked on the list as captain, confirming that Borthwick wants a clearly defined hierarchy for the summer part of the competition. Although attention naturally turns to the five players without an official appearance, it is equally important that the squad also includes players with major international experience such as George, Genge, Ford, Slade, Steward, Curry and Earl. Their role will be to maintain training and match standards while the younger or newer players adjust to the speed of decision-making at Test level. If England manage to combine that stability with the freshness of new names, the Nations Championship could serve as an important point in building the team for the next major goals.
Borthwick said in a statement carried by England Rugby and Sky Sports that he had selected a group with a good combination of experience and new talent. He added that the Nations Championship will bring strong opponents, demanding environments, a lot of travel and changes of climate, which will test the team throughout the entire tournament. Such an assessment neatly sums up England’s summer task: it is not just about three matches, but about the first examination in a competition that is trying to reshape international rugby. For the five players waiting for an official debut, it is an opportunity to step immediately into the highest level, and for Borthwick a test of whether the national team can remain competitive while also broadening the foundations for the future.
Sources:
- England Rugby – official announcement of the England squad for the 2026 Nations Championship. (link)
- World Rugby – official schedule and format of the 2026 Nations Championship. (link)
- Sky Sports – report on Maro Itoje’s rest, Jamie George’s captaincy and the five players without an official appearance. (link)
- RugbyPass – supplementary report on the final list, Ted Hill and the schedule of England’s matches in July. (link)
- Six Nations Rugby – official explanation of the launch of the Nations Championship and the competition model. (link)