Furbank to face Boks in first England start for nearly two years

George Furbank will make his first England appearance in nearly two years in Saturday’s Nations Championship opener against South Africa in Johannesburg.

Furbank lines up in a back three with Cadan Murley and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, with Tommy Freeman partnering Seb Atkinson at centre.

In the forwards, George Martin makes his first England start since the 2025 Six Nations, joining Alex Coles in the second row with Ollie Chessum on the blindside flank.

Henry Pollock, who won back-to-back man-of-the-match awards as Northampton won the Prem title, is among the replacements.

“Playing South Africa at Ellis Park is one of the great Tests in world rugby and an opportunity we’re excited to embrace,” stated head coach Steve Borthwick.

With regular captain Maro Itoje rested and not on the tour, Jamie George leads from hooker and is part of an experienced front row alongside props Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes.

Ben Earl and Tom Curry make up the back row, with Jack van Poortvliet getting the nod at number nine alongside fly-half Fin Smith.

England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Atkinson, Murley: F Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Heyes, Coles, Martin, Chessum, Curry, Earl

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Obano, Opoku-Fordjour, Ewels, Pepper, Pollock, Mitchell, M Smith

South Africa v England

Nations Championship

Saturday 4 July

Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Listen on Sounds

Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website and app, with accompanying live text commentary

Furbank’s resurgence carries him into starting line-up

Furbank impressed at full-back throughout the course of 2024, but was hit by a succession of injuries since his last appearance against Japan in November of that year.

However he returned to hit top form at the back end of the newest Prem season, leading Northampton to the league title before a summer switch to Harlequins.

Meanwhile for Furbank’s new club-mate Murley, Saturday represents an opportunity to take on the best team in the world, and some of the best individuals, with double World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe lining up on the opposite wing.

“Cheslin Kolbe has probably been the standout winger since that 2019 World Cup to be honest,” Murley told BBC Sport.

“And he has actually been someone I have looked at a lot in terms of his aerial game because he’s not the tallest and he’s not the biggest. It will be a good challenge going up against him.

“Playing the champs in their own back yard – it’s a massive challenge but an exciting one. They are the team that have dominated world rugby for a long time.”