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Three countries, 25,000 miles – England’s daunting summer itineraryImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England have lost two of their opening three Six Nations gamesByMike Henson
Above the mouth of the players tunnel at Ellis Park, where England will walk out to play South Africa on 4 July, there is a sign.
Hammered out in capital letters, it simply reads: “1,753m above sea level.”
It will be the start of an itinerary that takes England far and wide, as well as high.
Previously a Test summer consisted of a series taking place in a single destination, perhaps with a warm-up match en route.
In 2025 England played two Tests against Argentina, with a match against the USA on their way home.
In 2024 they took on Japan before flying on to play New Zealand twice.
Plenty of tin-tray micro-meals and free sleep masks involved in both trips.
This year, though, the itineraries are more hectic and varied than ever.
The new Nations Championship, which pits the best teams from the two hemispheres against each other over the year, demands more stops.
So, after jetting down to Johannesburg to take on South Africa, England will fly home to play Fiji in an ‘away’ fixture at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool a week later, before checking in for a mammoth journey to the small Argentine city of Santiago del Estero, where they will take on the Pumas.
In total, England will travel more than 25,000 miles, equivalent to a lap of the globe, to fulfil the three fixtures and make their way home.
Their super-charged race around the world poses plenty of challenges.
That Ellis Park sign is a reminder to travelling teams of the weak oxygen mix swirling around them.
At altitude the air is ‘thinner’ as it is under less pressure, meaning that each inflation of the lungs draws about a fifth less oxygen into the body.
As if the challenge of facing the reigning world champions is not enough, the Springboks have regularly added opponents’ acclimatisation to their home advantage.
The last time England toured South Africa in 2018, Ellis Park was the venue for the first Test. England raced out into a 21-point lead, but were reeled in and beaten 42-39.
Given the relatively sparse facilities in their home country, and the possibility of generating greater income elsewhere, Fiji have been given dispensation to play their home matches on neutral territory.
Port Elizabeth – a 90-minute flight from Johannesburg – was floated as a possible venue, but opportunity won out over convenience.
A match at Hill Dickinson Stadium will also give England – for whom staging home games anywhere other than their own 82,000-capacity Allianz Stadium in Twickenham means missing out on substantial revenue – a chance to shine outside of their traditional heartland.
England thrashed Uruguay in a World Cup dead rubber in 2015 at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in front of more than 50,000.
Taking on a Fiji side that were within three points of England with a little more than 20 minutes to go in November’s meeting should provide more of a spectacle on their first visit to the north-west since.
With many of Fiji’s stars, such as Bristol pair Viliame Mata and Kalaveti Ravouvou, Provence’s Caleb Muntz and Lyon’s Jiuta Wainiqolo, playing their club rugby in Europe, the venue may make life easier for some of the islanders.
Argentina’s stadium selection for the following week is interesting.
They have a perfect record at the new 42,000-capacity Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
The Pumas have beaten Scotland and South Africa in their two appearances there.
However, getting to Santiago del Estero from the capital Buenos Aires – 650 miles to the south-west – involves a two-hour flight or 12-hour drive.
It is a choice of venue that exacerbates a testing itinerary.
Image source, Getty ImagesA statue of Diego Maradona stands outside Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades
England are well versed in long-haul tours.
Operations manager Charlotte Gibbons, who is in charge of ironing out the kinks to make schedules as seamless as possible, has been in her role for a decade, and was recently seconded to the British and Irish Lions for their whistle-stop summer tour of Australia.
International teams pack cleverly for flights. Additional food, supplements and sleep plans are in place to ensure players reach their destination in the best possible condition.
Johannesburg is only an hour ahead of the UK in July, minimising jetlag for that leg of England’s trip.
The kick-off time for the meeting with Fiji has not been confirmed, but an early afternoon start could be key in allowing England to get to London and en route to Buenos Aires for a Sunday morning arrival in Argentina.
Head coach Steve Borthwick will have decisions to make.
While England have no option but to go full bore against the Springboks, there is the option of splitting the squad for the following week.
A group of players could fly direct from South Africa to Argentina to start preparations for the Pumas early.
Doing so runs risks, however.
Ranked eighth in the world – higher than Scotland and Italy – Fiji are not to be taken lightly.
If a mix-and-match England team lost, it would also undermine the new Nations Championship, with each match contributing to a North v South rankings play-off at Twickenham.
The profile of the new event’s finale would be raised by England competing in one of the prestige fixtures. Defeat by Fiji would diminish that possibility.
England’s schedule involves more air miles, but not significantly more than most traditional tours.
Their 2024 summer schedule, involving visits to Japan and New Zealand, came in at about 24,000 miles. The 2025 equivalent, taking in Argentina and the US, was about 16,000.
However, the increased number of flights means more take-offs and landings – the most carbon intensive phase of air travel.
Nations Championship organisers have attempted to make the fixture list as efficient as possible.
No northern hemisphere team has been handed the biggest set of long-haul fixtures possible – playing Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand on successive weekends – with matches tending to be grouped for relative proximity.
However, a more ambitious attempt to bring together the global game comes at a greater carbon cost.
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