Injury-hit England call up Roebuck to cover Furbank's appendicitis absence against Fiji

Tom Roebuck has been called into the England squad as a replacement for George Furbank, who was rushed to hospital with appendicitis ahead of Saturday’s Nations Championship match against Fiji at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.

Furbank had been named to start at full-back for last Saturday’s defeat to South Africa at Ellis Park before his sudden illness forced him out. Marcus Smith stepped in at 15 in his absence, with England’s defence struggling badly in the early stages of a loss to the Springboks.

The situation at full-back remains precarious for England. Freddie Steward is still carrying an ankle injury and is considered a fitness concern, meaning head coach Steve Borthwick could be without a specialist option in the position for a fixture England need to win.

Roebuck, 25, was widely considered unlucky to miss the original squad selection. He was a consistent presence during this year’s Six Nations, starting four of England’s five matches and scoring tries in three of them — the only game he sat out being the home defeat to Ireland. Since his Test debut against Japan in Tokyo in June 2024, Roebuck has accumulated eight tries in 12 senior appearances for England, making him one of the more productive backs in the current setup.

England’s Nations Championship campaign has started with a defeat, placing added pressure on the Fiji fixture. Following Saturday’s game in Liverpool, England travel to Argentina for their Round 3 match against Los Pumas at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.