England have brought Sale wing Tom Roebuck into their squad for the remaining Nations Championship fixtures against Fiji and Argentina, following a series of unfortunate setbacks for George Furbank.
The Harlequins-bound full-back is currently recovering in Johannesburg after having his appendix removed.
Roebuck’s inclusion marks a return after his surprise omission from Steve Borthwick’s initial 36-man squad. The 25-year-old had made three Six Nations starts and impressed in the autumn before a broken toe sidelined him until his February comeback.
Furbank’s appendectomy on Friday ruled him out of England’s 45-21 defeat by South Africa and adds to a string of injuries. Calf and concussion issues, alongside a fractured arm, have prevented him from adding to his 14 caps since November 2024. He is expected to return to the UK on Tuesday.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Fiji at Hill Dickinson Stadium, full-back Freddie Steward is anticipated to be available after missing the Springboks showdown due to a rolled ankle.
Cadan Murley remains a doubt for the Islanders fixture as his shoulder injury is under investigation, with Steve Borthwick set to name his team on Thursday. Alex Mitchell, having overcome hamstring issues, made his comeback against the world champions and is now in contention to start.
The Liverpool fixture against Fiji will be England’s first match in the north since their 37-0 victory over Italy at St James’ Park in 2019. For Mitchell, a Sale academy product, it offers a chance to return to his roots.
He expressed his enthusiasm: “Going to Liverpool will be pretty special – it’s a new stadium and new fans. To try get some new fans up there would be really nice.”
England will be hoping to end a run of five straight defeats that stretches back to this year’s Six Nations. Borthwick’s side began their campaign with a dominant win over Wales, but were then beaten by Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France as they finished fifth in the Six Nations table.
England tested South Africa at times in Saturday’s clash but were eventually soundly beaten after being reduced to 13 men in the latter stages when Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper were sent to the sin-bin.
