England name three debutants on bench as Borthwick makes minimal changes to face Fiji

Steve Borthwick has named three uncapped players on his replacements bench as England make only two changes to their starting XV for Saturday’s Nations Championship fixture against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.

Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori and Bristol Bears tighthead George Kloska are all in line for their England debuts from the bench, marking a significant injection of new faces despite the minimal alterations to the run-on side. England go into the match searching for their first win in six Test matches and only their second of 2026, having been beaten 45-21 by South Africa at Ellis Park last week.

In the starting XV, Tommy Freeman moves from outside centre back to the wing following the injury to Cadan Murley, with Henry Slade — who was among the replacements in Johannesburg — coming into the midfield. Guy Pepper takes the openside flanker berth, with Tom Curry shifting to the bench.

The replacements have been more heavily reshaped, with only four survivors from the South Africa Test. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, a tighthead replacement last week, switches to loosehead cover in the absence of the injured Beno Obano. That positional move has created room for Kloska to earn his debut, while Van Rensburg — a South African-born Sale Sharks team-mate of Opoku-Fordjour — qualified for England this week, and teenage scrum-half Caluori also comes in.

The inclusion of Van Rensburg and Caluori means England will operate a 5-3 forward-to-back split on the bench for the first time in over a year. Charlie Ewels drops out of the squad entirely to accommodate the extra back, leaving England without second-row cover among the replacements. Ollie Chessum starts in the back row, providing some lock insurance if needed.

“We’ve had a really positive week of preparation, and the players have worked hard in training,” said Borthwick. “We know Fiji will provide a tough challenge. They are a dangerous side who will demand the very best from us. It’s fantastic to be playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which is an outstanding venue. There is a real passion for rugby across the north of England, and we’re looking forward to experiencing a brilliant atmosphere in Liverpool.”

England XV: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Henry Slade, Seb Atkinson, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; Fin Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George (capt), Joe Heyes, Alex Coles, George Martin, Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Ben Earl.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, George Kloska, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori.