England’s first-choice back three stares Borthwick in face after Australia rout | Gerard Meagher

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank can make an impact at next year’s World Cup, providing they can all stay fit Rugby, at its heart, is a simple game. Win the collisions and you’ll more than likely win the match. Rule the skies, own the floor and the chances a

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank can make an impact at next year’s World Cup, providing they can all stay fit Rugby, at its heart, is a simple game. Win the collisions and you’ll more than likely win the match. Rule the skies, own the floor and the chances are you’ll end up on the right side of the ledger.

Put square pegs in square holes and you can achieve the sort of attacking fluidity required for a record score against Australia. The complicated bit, once you stop trying to put them in round holes, is keeping those square pegs fit. England’s emphatic win over the Wallabies on Sunday was the first time in two years Borthwick has been able to field a back-three of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank.

It was also the first time ever that they have lined up with 11, 14 and 15 on their respective backs. It will not be the last but it was a fleeting glimpse nonetheless. Feyi-Waboso sustained an ankle injury that will rule him out for the rest of the autumn campaign.

Furbank has a groin problem that will keep him sidelined against Japan and given Borthwick is considering resting some players, it may be Freeman sits out on Saturday. It could conceivably be an entirely different back three against Eddie Jones’s side. Continue reading...