England Hit with Double Blow: Two Key Stars Out for Springboks Showdown

11/10/2024 02:51 PM

England have had to make late changes to their squad, with Tom Curry and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso forced out after a crushing 42-37 loss to Australia at Twickenham.

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Steve Borthwick's squad reshuffle comes at a time when the pressure is on, as England are desperate to end a four-match losing streak.

Tom Curry – The Unlucky Flanker

Curry, England's tireless warrior, saw his time on the pitch against Australia cut brutally short. After a head-on collision with Rob Valetini during a mistimed tackle, the Sale Sharks star was forced off in the 23rd minute. His absence leaves a massive hole in England's back-row, especially after he had battled so hard against the All Blacks the previous weekend.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – The Rising Star

Feyi-Waboso has been a revelation since his Six Nations debut, notching five tries in just eight international appearances. But his dynamic edge will be sorely missed. The Exeter Chiefs wing sustained his own head injury while desperately trying to prevent an Australian try in the 50th minute, a blow that rules him out of England's showdown against the Springboks.

Who's In?

Ted Hill (Bath Rugby) and Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks) have been drafted into the 36-player squad. The pair will be gearing up for a huge test at Twickenham on November 16th, with England determined to regain their form live on TNT Sports at 5:40 pm.

Venue Note: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – where the drama unfolds once more.

Borthwick and his men face the reigning world champions, South Africa, but the absence of Curry's relentless breakdown work and Feyi-Waboso's electric finishing will surely be felt. The stakes couldn't be higher.

England's 36-player squad:

Forwards

Fin Baxter (Harlequins)

Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)

Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)

Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)

Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)

Theo Dan (Saracens)

Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints)

Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)

Ben Earl (Saracens)

Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)

Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)

Jamie George (Saracens)

Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)

Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)

Maro Itoje (Saracens)

George Martin (Leicester Tigers)

Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)

Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)

Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)

Backs

Elliot Daly (Saracens)

George Ford (Sale Sharks)

Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)

George Furbank (Northampton Saints)

Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)

Alex Lozowski (Saracens)

Luke Northmore (Harlequins)

Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)

Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)

Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)

Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)

Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)

Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)

Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)

Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

EDITORS PICKS:

• Secret girlfriend has broken her silence about former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg
• Referee Slammed for Letting Play Continue After Tom Curry's Serious Head Injury
• Andy Farrell included on list of contenders to replace England boss Steve Borthwick
• Exeter Chiefs facing serious battle to keep hold of England star Henry Slade

6 England Players Who Completely Flopped Against the Wallabies

With back-to-back losses to the All Blacks and now the Wallabies, England have now lost six out of 10 games this season. Their current form, which includes four straight defeats, marks their worst run since 2018.

Ben Earl

Earl hasn't managed to recapture his stellar Six Nations form, as the Telegraph notes. While he put in work defensively and carried well, he didn’t have the same dominating impact. Planet Rugby praised his relentless work ethic but pointed out his difficulty in making decisive offensive breaks against Australia's defense.

Telegraph 5/10: “Form still not quite at the levels it was during the Six Nations. Made his share tackles and carries but not dominating like he once did.”

Planet Rugby 6/10: “Work ethic outstanding yet again but struggled to punch holes in the Australian rearguard.”

George Furbank

Furbank’s performance lacked impact, with critics noting his quiet presence on the field. He didn't make the anticipated contributions in attack and failed to shut down Australia's two first-half tries in the same corner. Planet Rugby highlighted his overplaying, which led to errors and turnovers. He was replaced by George Ford, with Marcus Smith moving to full-back, after 18 minutes.

Mail Online 4.5/10: “Quiet. Didn’t necessarily do much wrong, but didn’t stand out either. Replaced by George Ford with Marcus Smith moving to full-back.”

Rugby Pass 4.5/10: “Didn't feature in attack as was hoped and it was disappointing that he didn't better shut the door defensively for Australia's two first half tries scored in the same corner. Sacrificed with 18 minutes remaining, with Smith switching to full-back.”

Planet Rugby 4/10: ” Was rightly heralded in July but Furbank was very poor on Saturday. Overplayed on far too many occasions, which subsequently led to errors and turnovers.”

Henry Slade

Slade, as the backline's defensive captain, took heavy criticism for Australia’s success in navigating the blitz defense. While Rugby Pass mentioned the defensive responsibilities shifting to Joe El-Abd, Slade was expected to be the top defensive presence and fell short.

Telegraph 4/10: “As the defensive captain of the backline needs to bear responsibility for how easily Australia navigated the blitz.”

Rugby Pass 6/10: “Struggled in a defensive set-up that is now the remit of Joe El-Abd. Needed to be his team's best defending back but was unable to provide that reliability.”

Mail Online 5/10: “He is the man in charge of England’s blitz defence, but it was cut to ribbons far too often by some razor-sharp Australian attack.”

Tommy Freeman

Freeman couldn’t find the prominence he desired, drawing comparisons to the standout performances of others, such as his Northampton teammate Sleightholme. Both the Express and Telegraph highlighted the limits of his contributions in England’s current game plan, while Rugby Pass emphasised his lack of improvement from prior matches.

Express 5/10: “Again not as prominent as he would wish, will be envious of two-try club mate Sleightholme.”

Telegraph 5/10: “There is so much more to his game than just chasing high balls but you wouldn't know it the way England use him.”

Rugby Pass 5/10: “Needed an upgrade after his slow going effort versus New Zealand, but it didn't really happen.

Mail Online 4.5/10: “Unfortunately, he looked a touch off the pace. Never stopped working but had a good chance for first-half try.”

Ben Spencer

Struggled to convince in the scrum-half role, even with accurate box kicks early on. Spencer showed some attacking flair, but his momentum dwindled, with the Telegraph highlighting some scragged runs and Rugby Pass pointing to missed defensive moments.

Telegraph 5/10: “Still not convincing in the No 9 shirt. Box kicking was generally on the money but got scragged a couple of times around the ruck.”

Rugby Pass 5.5/10: “Showed attacking skills early on; look at his pass off the floor to the supporting Freeman. But his display them got bogged down, something not helped by his early second-half box-kicking and not doing enough to tackle the try-scoring Williams into touch. Exited on 62.”

Mail Online 5/10: “He looked like he’d done enough to stop Australian lock Jeremy Williams from scoring, but the try was given.”

George Martin

Martin's early carry attempt failed to result in points, setting a tough tone. Criticized for not imposing himself enough, he was noted as England's leading tackler but struggled to handle the speed of the game. His slow reaction to McDermott's try was a particular sticking point.

Evening Standard 5/10: “Should have scored early on when trying to carry over the whitewash from a few yards out.”

Guardian 6/10: “Another who is not quite making the kind of impact we know he can. Went off gingerly midway through second half.”

Mail Online 5/10: “Not his usual self. Australia’s high-tempo game didn’t allow him to get close to gold shirts and make the sort of tackles he normally does.”

Express 5/10: “Showed well early but England need more from their enforcer to arrest this slump.”

Telegraph 5/10: “A fast paced, end-to-end contest is categorically not his best environment. Was England's top tackler before he went off but was too slow to react to McDermott's snipe.”

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