England's Nations Championship southern hemisphere block ended with two wins from three — enough to ease immediate pressure on Borthwick and shift the narrative after a wretched Six Nations. The Boks handed them a 45-21 thrashing in the opener, but England responded with a 73-8 demolition of Fiji before holding on grimly against Argentina, a match that descended into a six-yellow-card circus before a last-gasp TMO call preserved the win. The piece credits a more expansive attack built around Ben Earl's carrying, the Fin Smith–Van Poortvliet axis controlling tempo, Feyi-Waboso given licence to roam, and Chessum as an underrated cornerstone at the breakdown. The analyst argues this represents a genuine stylistic step forward — slicker, wider, more purposeful than the Six Nations grind — but flags discipline as a structural problem rather than a one-off blip. England conceded 34 penalties across three Tests and six yellows, continuing a pattern from the Six Nations (55 penalties, seven yellows, one red). The arithmetic is damning: Borthwick's side nearly lost to Argentina precisely because of penalty strings gifting momentum. The verdict is cautiously positive — real progress, real foundations — but the discipline epidemic has to be fixed before England can be taken seriously as a top-tier threat.
England's Nations Championship: Progress Made, Discipline Still a Crisis
England went 2-from-3 in the Nations Championship southern leg, with genuine attacking improvement and standout performances from Earl, Chessum and the Smith–Van Poortvliet halfback partnership. But a chronic discipline problem — 34 penalties and six yellows in three Tests — nearly cost them the Argentina win and remains the defining obstacle to Borthwick's side becoming a consistent force.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Smith vows England will 'leave it all out there' against Springboks
Marcus Smith says England's 36-man squad, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, are targeting a historic win over the Springboks in the Nations Championship opener, having trained in oxygen masks to prepare for the Highveld.
Erasmus: 'We don't see the Nations Championship as a competition'
Erasmus says the Boks won't adjust their approach to chase Nations Championship log points — each Test is treated as a standalone match, with squad rotation across the window as the priority over competition standings.
Contepomi: Boks have cracked the balance — and that's what makes them dangerous
Contepomi argues the Boks' real danger lies in their evolving balance between forward dominance and expansive attack — and flags sustained possession as the best way to exploit their defence.
Janse van Rensburg at the top of England's centre pecking order — and what it means for the Boks
Borthwick's centre headache has a new frontrunner: Janse van Rensburg is rated the likely starter at 12 for England's Tests against Fiji and Argentina, though he's ineligible for the opener against the Springboks. The piece ranks all options at 12 and 13, with Freeman locked in outside and Slade unlucky to be on the fringes.