Frustration And Experimentation As England Spin Reels For Fiji Test

Quilter Nations Series: England v Fiji

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 8 November Kick-off: 17:40 GMT

Coverage: Live connected Radio 5 Sports Extra; unrecorded matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website & app

For England, nan clip to trial theories connected turf has arrived.

Two years retired from nan Rugby World Cup, pinch a clutch of youngsters blooded complete nan summertime and free from nan unit of a Six Nations campaign, they look Fiji connected Saturday - their weakest force of nan autumn, according to rankings astatine least.

The nights whitethorn person drawn in, but it is simply a play for blue-sky reasoning and distant horizons.

Some of nan 7 changes to their starting XV are enforced. Full-back Freddie Steward is ruled retired pinch a manus injury. Wing Tom Roebuck has tweaked an ankle. Captain Maro Itoje, a fixture successful nan squad for astir a decade, is connected nan chair pinch a uncommon knock.

But caput coach Steve Borthwick mightiness good person shaken up nan action anyway.

With 8 consecutive wins buying immoderate breathing space, his privilege is title to push nan squad to caller heights, alternatively than continuity.

The attraction is particularly crisp astatine fly-half.

Fin Smith, Northampton's wise young head, has sewage nan nod.

George Ford, who steered nan squad truthful assuredly successful nan summer, is near out. Marcus Smith, nan spark astatine nan centre of England's onslaught this clip past year, is successful his unfavoured full-back slot.

Three into 10 doesn't go.

And while Kevin Sinfield said of nan separator and appetite that chopping and changing has brought to camp, nan adjunct coach admitted location is vexation and disgruntlement to negociate arsenic well.

"I've met Marcus a mates of times retired of campy successful nan past period," said Borthwick of a subordinate who has not had a changeable backmost astatine fly-half since starting location successful 8 successive games up until February.

"I deliberation I want each nan players to consciousness supported connected nan journey. It's uncommon that anybody's travel conscionable goes successful 1 guidance and stays that way.

"Players ever person bumps and their ain corners to turn, that's ever portion of nan quality of it and I deliberation nan coaching squad is location supporting our players.

"Whereas a subordinate is ever selected for their club, sometimes that's not rather nan lawsuit present and nan domiciled changes. That produces challenges for america and successful nan situation because they each want to play, but I'd overmuch alternatively it that measurement than nan different way."

It isn't conscionable among nan fly-halves that England person group retired of position and noses retired of joint.

Chandler Cunningham-South, who has started only 3 games astatine number 8 for nine and state complete nan past 12 months, gets a changeable to beryllium himself arsenic a close-quarters powerhouse tin of replacing nan France-bound Tom Willis.

Henry Arundell is nan sole backline replacement connected nan bench, leaving unfastened nan anticipation of backmost statement Ben Earl slotting into midfield erstwhile again.

Alternatively, Fin Smith himself has been training astatine wrong centre, primed, successful nan lawsuit of injury, to shunt retired 1 spot to make measurement for Marcus.

Why each nan quadrate pegs, sweeping changes and consequent soft-skill tricksiness to support everyone happy?

The dream is to get astatine Australia 2027 pinch a squad of greater extent and flexibility. One pinch versatile players capable to measurement into different roles, creating a squad that tin accommodate swiftly and isn't heavy reliant connected header names.

Success would let England to ape nan forward-heavy power-play chair that South Africa deployed en way to nan Rugby World Cup triumph successful France.

Borthwick wants to drain opponents' batteries pinch relentless tempo and energy, moving nan shot acold and fast. The strategy is nan star, alternatively than immoderate peculiar player.

That maneuver puts a further premium connected value moving 23, alternatively than conscionable starting 15, deep.

"From a beingness constituent of nan view, nan squad is improving," he told Rugby Union Weekly. "I deliberation we person stepped guardant from wherever we were 12 months agone - we person much pace, our acceleration is improving.

"You spot nan athleticism nan squad has got, which is simply a different make-up to erstwhile England teams.

"I want to beryllium successful a position wherever each subordinate tin play 80 minutes, we are not rather location yet but we will be."

Gengenpressing? Total rugby? Borthersball 2.0?

Whatever England are cooking up, Fiji will not beryllium compliant trial subjects.

Their past sojourn to Twickenham was a 30-22 daze triumph successful August 2023, blowing distant immoderate mystique astir nan stadium and its residents.

Their backline shimmers pinch threat, pinch Bristol's Kalaveti Ravouvou's flair extracurricular Josua Tuisova's powerfulness successful nan centres, and Jiuta Wainiqolo - a swerving dervish of a helping heading nan Top 14 effort charts - retired wide.

Their physicality is ne'er successful doubt. Earl this week described nan sound of Tom Curry and Levani Botia coming together successful 2023's Rugby World Cup 4th final.

"The sound that made I was like: 'Oh my God,'" he remembered pinch a wince.

"It is very uncommon you deliberation that connected nan pitch."

England will request to play those hits again, but it is nan new, experimental worldly that is astir important to Borthwick and his team.