England depart for their three-continent summer tour on Wednesday with Jamie George captaining the side in Maro Itoje's absence, and defence coach Richard Wigglesworth has made clear the squad's gruelling 25,000-mile itinerary — spanning Tests in Johannesburg, Liverpool and Santiago del Estero — will not be treated as mitigation for any shortcomings.
The July 4 Test at Ellis Park against the Springboks opens the inaugural Nations Championship for both sides, and England expect a full bill of health by then. Ellis Genge, Guy Pepper, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Arthur Clarke have all been in treatment but are on course to be available for the opener.
"We have a massive challenge," Wigglesworth said. "You can either see it as a massive hindrance or something really exciting that none of the other teams have to do — and we're embracing it. It can't be an excuse for us, it's just part of the challenge."
Henry Pollock's form has earned him a prominent tour role after influential displays in Northampton's Premiership title-winning victories over Leicester and Exeter.
Rassie Erasmus, meanwhile, admits England's tactical unpredictability under Borthwick complicates Springbok preparation. "Tactically, Steve is someone who works with numbers and chases trends and that's always difficult to prepare against," Erasmus said. "If I say we know exactly what they'll do next Saturday, I'd be lying."