Steve Borthwick's England summer is shaping into a logistical and selection riddle, and YouTube tactician RugbyAnalyst believes the only workable answer is to split the squad in two for the dual assignment in South Africa and against Fiji.
England's June-July itinerary asks the head coach to stage a Test against the Springboks, then field a side against Fiji days later, before pushing on to Argentina. RugbyAnalyst, in a fresh breakdown of the schedule, argues a single travelling group cannot service all three matches and that a shadow 23 prepared at home is the obvious solution.
"It's a pretty big one really and I just can't see how they're not going to have to do that," RugbyAnalyst said, pointing to the impossibility of flying back the bulk of a squad from South Africa to play Fiji in the same week. He called the alternative "lunacy" and floated whether Borthwick will go 50-50, with some travelling on to Argentina while others fly home.
His predicted first-choice 23 for the Springbok Test leans heavily on continuity from the Six Nations. Theo Dan stays as backup hooker to Jamie George, with Genge, Baxter, Hayes and Porter expected to fill out the front row. Maro Itoje captains from the second row, while Ollie Chessum is tipped to slide to six, especially in the South African heat.
The back row is where Borthwick's hand may be forced by Tom Curry's return from injury. "We're hearing Tom Curry is back fit and he's going to start playing for Sale again soon," RugbyAnalyst noted, pencilling Curry in at seven and Ben Earl at eight. He suspects Borthwick will pack the bench with six forwards, leaving Cunningham-South, Pepper and Pollock among the impact options, and possibly George Martin held back for the Fiji game.
In the backs, Alex Mitchell partners Finn Smith, with Fraser Dingwall and Will Lawrence in midfield "leading the line in defence as well making the play". Tommy Freeman returns to the wing rather than centre, and Fur bank is backed to leapfrog Freddie Steward into the 15 jersey. Spencer covers nine, with Marcus Smith trusted at the back.
The Fiji XV looks very different — and, in RugbyAnalyst's reading, deliberately younger. He sees Borthwick using the second Test as a forced development window: Charlie Ewels parachuted in to lead an experimental pack, Ted Hill granted a long-overdue chance, and Henry Pollock or Barbeary featuring in a balanced back row. Henry Slade is mooted as a multi-positional bench option to cover both centre and fly-half.
"It's a real head scratcher actually," he conceded, leaving the door open for a 50-50 split where some senior names finish in Argentina and others step into the Fiji game. The Test against Fiji, in his view, "could be a real positive for England" if framed as planned exposure rather than a downgraded fixture.
Borthwick has so far given little away publicly about his squad split, but the calendar is tight, the South Africa series is unforgiving, and Fiji's improvement curve makes the dead-rubber option dangerous. RugbyAnalyst's verdict is blunt: travel with a slimmed-down 26 to Johannesburg, leave a credible 23 plus reserves in the UK, and trust George Ford or another senior figure to captain the home group.
"Surely the bulk of the team to play Fiji are going to be a team preparing in the UK," he said. If Borthwick agrees, England's summer becomes two campaigns running in parallel — and the depth he has spent two years building will get its biggest test yet.
