Nick Easter's argument is straightforward: England's summer fixture pile-up — South Africa at Ellis Park, Fiji in Liverpool, and a two-Test series in Argentina, all compressed into three weeks — cannot be managed with a single squad without breaking players or sacrificing preparation quality. The only sensible answer is the split-squad model Rassie has been running since 2018. Easter points to the numbers: roughly 20 'weakened' Bok outings since then, 17 wins. The principle isn't about conceding games — it's about protecting continuity for your gun XV while giving a second group genuine in-country preparation time. Easter's proposal is to lock in the first-choice side after the Prem Final, give them a proper recovery week, and run them through South Africa and Fiji as a unit. The Argentina squad embeds early, acclimatises, and gets supplemented by whoever comes through Liverpool in good shape.
The piece also doubles as a detailed selection argument. Easter's preferred XV for Ellis Park builds around Mitchell–Fin Smith at half-back, Ojomoh at 12 for gainline grunt against Bok line speed, and a back-row of Chessum, Pepper, and Earl — physicality framing Earl's playmaking. He flags Oghre as the form hooker pushing Jamie George hard for minutes, and singles out Fiji — not South Africa — as the game England are most at risk of losing. The Argentina wildcard is the Top 14 final releasing Pumas late, making preparation and squad depth even more critical. If the scheduling logic and the granular selection debate both interest you, the full piece is worth the read.