England's centre position has been a revolving door under Borthwick — four different pairings across eight Tests — and the RFU's decision to appeal for Janse van Rensburg's eligibility tells you exactly how desperate they are for a solution. This piece ranks England's options at 12 and 13 heading into the July Nations Championship Tests. Janse van Rensburg is slotted as the frontrunner at 12, with the argument being that his blend of playmaking vision and physical carrying is precisely what Lee Blackett's attack demands — the RFU wouldn't have fought for his eligibility if he wasn't going to play. Seb Atkinson and Fraser Dingwall are rated as capable but distinct alternatives, each offering a different flavour of the second-playmaker role England want at inside centre. At 13, Tommy Freeman is cemented as the starter in what the piece describes as a rugby league-style flat-running role, with Henry Slade rated as an unlucky second choice despite strong Exeter form. For Springbok supporters, the more immediately relevant detail is that Janse van Rensburg is ineligible for England's opener against South Africa on July 8 — he only qualifies the day after — so the Boks won't face him in that first Test, but England's midfield will look meaningfully different by the time Fiji and Argentina come around.
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.
England should steal Rassie's two-squad playbook for their impossible summer schedule
Nick Easter argues England must adopt Rassie's split-squad model to survive a brutal summer window, and backs it up with a detailed first-choice XV for Ellis Park — with Fiji, not South Africa, flagged as the most dangerous fixture.
Mitchell hamstring blow leaves England short at scrumhalf ahead of Springbok test
Alex Mitchell is doubtful for England's Nations Championship campaign, including the Springbok test in Johannesburg, after pulling a hamstring in a squad training camp.
Rassie's Nations Championship reckoning: the July squads that will shape RWC 2027
A demographic deep-dive into the seven leading RWC 2027 contenders argues the Nations Championship compresses the selection cycle by a year, placing Erasmus at the sharpest decision point: defend the title with the 2023 spine or finally acknowledge the cost of carrying an ageing pack into Australian conditions.
Springboks Through Irish Eyes: Gráinne Seoige on Loftus, Rassie, and Why SA Rugby Is Unlike Anything Else
Irish TV personality Gráinne Seoige tells the Lekker Rugby Pod that walking into Loftus for the 2024 Ireland test was the most intimidating rugby atmosphere she has ever experienced, and argues that Rassie Erasmus's cultural transformation of Springbok rugby is a bigger achievement than the World Cup wins.
Hansen: Wellington told us more about the All Blacks than the Springboks
Hansen argues the Wellington result revealed more about All Black confusion than Springbok dominance, while cautioning against scoreline fixation — and backing the new-look All Blacks to learn from the Greatest Rivalry tour.