England face anxious wait over star injuries as Fiji plans up-in-air

England must contend with a developing back-three injury crisis as they attempt to halt their five-Test losing run when they clash with Fiji on Saturday.

Fresh from a 45-21 mauling by South Africa at Ellis Park, Steve Borthwick’s men will limp into Liverpool with concerns over wing Cadan Murley and full-back Freddie Steward.

Both players are doubts for the Hill Dickinson Stadium showdown at a time when England are already reeling from the loss of George Furbank after he had his appendix removed at a Johannesburg hospital on Friday.

Furbank, who is unable to return home with the squad on Sunday night as a result of the procedure, was withdrawn from the starting XV to take on the Springboks with Marcus Smith taking his place at full-back.

Borthwick is awaiting updates on the respective shoulder and ankle issues affecting Murley and Steward before making a decision on whether call-ups are needed to cover for the remainder of the tour.

“I don’t know the extent of the bumps and bruises,” the head coach said. “When I get a full understanding of that, I will make a decision on who will come into the squad.”

One member of the 36-man touring party unavailable against the world champions now enters the selection frame with Benhard Janse van Rensburg’s England eligibility on residency grounds beginning on July 8.

South African-born Janse van Rensburg is set to be involved against Fiji at inside or outside centre in what will be his Test debut.

“He’s an excellent player, a very strong ball-carrier, a formidable tackler and works exceptionally hard off the ball,” Borthwick said. “And then there’s his distribution, so he adds a lot.

“The most important thing, on top of that, is the character he brings. He’s an incredibly positive, energetic guy who lifts those around him because of his presence.

“I’ll pick the 23 I believe is the right 23 to get the result against Fiji and the performance we want next Saturday.”

England will spend the early part of the week at their Surrey training camp before heading to Liverpool to finalise preparations for Fiji.

On Sunday their 25,000-mile tour continues by flying to Buenos Aires ahead of their July 18 showdown with Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

Borthwick’s top priority this week is addressing the reasons behind England losing the aerial battle so conclusively against South Africa – in his view the single most significant factor in deciding the Nations Championship opener.

“On the contestable kick game they won seven kicks back and we won a couple back,” Borthwick said.

“That’s a big discrepancy at this level and clearly one of the big deciding factors because that gave them field position and put pressure on the team.”