​George Furbank will win his 15th England cap in the Nations Championship opener against South Africa at Ellis Park, marking his first England appearance in almost two years. He is selected in a back three alongside Cadan Murley and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, with Tommy Freeman partnering Seb Atkinson in the 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 at blindside. Henry Pollock is among the replacements after winning back-to-back man-of-the-match honors as Northampton clinched the Premiership title.
Head coach Steve Borthwick said taking on South Africa at Ellis Park is one of the great tests in world rugby and a challenge the squad is eager to embrace. With regular captain Maro Itoje rested and not part of the tour, Jamie George leads from hooker, forming an experienced front row with props Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes. The back row features Ben Earl and Tom Curry, while Jack van Poortvliet earns the number nine shirt alongside fly-half Fin Smith.
England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Atkinson, Murley; Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Heyes, Coles, Martin, Chessum, Curry, Earl. Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Obano, Opoku-Fordjour, Ewels, Pepper, Pollock, Mitchell, M. Smith.
Furbank has revived his form after enduring a run of injuries since last playing against Japan in November of the previous year. He finished the season strongly for Northampton, helping them lift the Premiership title before moving to Harlequins in the summer. Murley, meanwhile, faces the challenge of taking on the world champions, with Cheslin Kolbe lining up on the opposite wing. Murley acknowledged Kolbe as one of the standout wingers since 2019, highlighting Kolbe’s aerial game as a key area to study. He described the match as a massive, exciting challenge, noting England’s ability to cope with altitude and the sustained dominance of the Springboks in world rugby.