Wigglesworth pinpoints England's 10-minute lapses after South Africa rout

England defence coach Richard Wigglesworth has identified damaging 10-minute spells at the start of each half as the primary issue to address before the side’s Nations Championship fixture against Fiji, following a 45-21 defeat to South Africa at Ellis Park.

“There was a lot of effort and endeavour,” Wigglesworth said at Tuesday’s media session. “But for 10 minutes at the start of each half we weren’t good enough, and a good team exposes that. They were very accurate and we weren’t, and they ended up with all the possession and momentum. The middle part of the match didn’t look like that, but it’s an 80-minute game.”

The loss compounded a difficult run for head coach Steve Borthwick’s side, who suffered four straight Six Nations defeats after opening their Allianz Stadium campaign with a win over Wales. England will confirm their starting line-up against Fiji on Thursday.

One potential bright spot is the imminent availability of South Africa-born utility back Benhard Janse van Rensburg, whose eligibility to represent England on residency grounds is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday. The 29-year-old is in line for an immediate Test start.

“He brings an all-court game, doesn’t he?” Wigglesworth said of Janse van Rensburg. “I enjoy how he wants to hit and loves the physical side of the game, but he also wants the ball on the other side. If he gets a chance I’m sure that’s what he’ll show us as well.”

England have also been forced into further squad changes due to injuries. Northampton prop Emmanuel Iyogun, who could be set for his debut, has been called up to replace Beno Obano, while Chandler Cunningham-South enters the squad in place of Cadan Murley. Tom Roebuck, a surprise omission from Borthwick’s original 36-man squad, was added on Monday to cover for George Furbank, who had his appendix removed in Johannesburg on Friday and was due to return to the UK on Tuesday.