Slade Earns Return to England Starting Lineup for Crucial Fiji Clash

Slade back in England XV for must – Henry Slade has been handed a recall to England’s starting XV for Saturday’s pivotal encounter against Fiji. The 33-year-old centre, who missed out on playing a single minute during England’s Six Nations tournament this year, will feature in the lineup as head coach Steve Borthwick seeks to halt a run of six consecutive Test defeats. Slade’s previous appearance in England’s starting XV occurred during November’s narrow 27-23 victory over Argentina.

The Exeter centre has openly expressed his frustration at being excluded from England’s midfield plans over recent months. His return to the national side comes after a strong domestic campaign that saw him guide Exeter to the Premiership final. Slade’s inclusion prompts a positional adjustment for Northampton’s Tommy Freeman, who will return to his familiar wing role following a twelve-month period attempting to transform him into an outside centre.

We’ve had a really positive week of preparation, and the players have worked hard in training. We know Fiji will provide a tough challenge. They are a dangerous side who will demand the very best from us.

Another alteration to the starting fifteen sees Guy Pepper take over from Tom Curry at openside flanker. The squad also features three uncapped players poised for their Test debuts from the bench: Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori, and George Kloska.

Slade received a late invitation to join the twenty-three-man squad that suffered defeat to South Africa last Saturday. He had initially been named on the bench after starting full-back George Furbank was ruled out with appendicitis. Slade eventually came on as a substitute for injured wing Cadan Murley in the fifty-fourth minute, with England concluding the 45-21 loss to the Springboks using the identical backline selected to face Fiji.

England’s recent defeat to South Africa caps off a disappointing Six Nations campaign characterized by losses against Scotland, Ireland, Italy, and France. Despite these setbacks, Borthwick has received support from Rugby Football Union executives to continue as coach through the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. However, both the governing body and England supporters will face a significant test if the losing streak reaches six matches.

England’s summer schedule concludes with a trip to Argentina on July 18 for the final fixture of the new Nations Championship’s summer leg. The upcoming match against Fiji will take place at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, with a 14:10 BST kick-off on Saturday, 11 July.

Uncapped Players and Team Selection Details

Pretoria-born Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been one of the Premiership’s standout performers in recent seasons. Despite qualifying for England through five years of residency, he previously represented South Africa’s under-20 side more than ten years ago. His selection over domestic prospects has drawn criticism from certain quarters, though he and Saracens’ teenage try-scoring sensation Noah Caluori both featured in a non-cap fixture against a French second-string team in Vannes last month.

Caluori, standing at 6ft 4in, has been compared to former Australia full-back Israel Folau due to his exceptional leap and overhead catching ability. He finished the club season as the top try-scorer with eighteen scores. Meanwhile, Janse van Rensburg appeared for an England XV against France’s second string during the previous month.

Steve Borthwick expressed dissatisfaction with how the Springboks controlled the aerial battle during last weekend’s Johannesburg encounter. The coach has selected Jamie George to captain the side, with Maro Itoje receiving rest for the summer period. Jack van Poortvliet maintains his position as starting scrum-half despite competition from Alex Mitchell, while Marcus Smith has been chosen ahead of Freddie Steward at full-back.

England holds a strong historical record against Fiji, having won nine of their ten Test meetings. Their most recent encounter produced a 38-18 victory at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium last November. Nevertheless, Fiji delivered a surprise 30-22 triumph at the same venue during the 2023 Rugby World Cup buildup before narrowly losing 30-24 in the tournament’s quarter-finals.

The hosts, utilizing United Kingdom venues due to limited large-scale facilities in Fiji, have implemented nine changes from the team that fell to Wales in Cardiff last weekend. Kalaveti Ravouvou from Bristol replaces the injured Semi Radradra at outside centre. Simione Kuruvoli and Caleb Muntz form an entirely new half-back combination. Additionally, thirty-seven-year-old Levani Botia makes his first appearance for Fiji since the last-eight defeat against England nearly three years ago, partnering with Peceli Yato in the back row. Yato came off the bench against Wales but has not started for Fiji in half a decade.

England Starting XV: M Smith; Freeman, Slade, Atkinson, Feyi-Waboso; F Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Heyes, Coles, Martin, Chessum, Pepper, Earl.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Kloska, Curry, Pollock, Mitchell, Janse van Rensburg, Caluori.

Fiji Starting XV: Rayasi; Karaivalevu, Ravouvou, Tuisova, Wainiqolo.