3 takeaways from England's XV to play South Africa

Fin Smith is now the confirmed starter at fly-half

At last, it appears that Fin Smith has cemented himself as the clear starter at his position; it shouldn't have taken that long but it's happened now. He has been the most consistent fly-half for England recently but it's his Prem form that truly sets him apart. He has now led the Saints to 2 titles in 3 seasons whilst Ford and Marcus Smith have had disappointing seasons with their clubs. He is a well-rounded player around whom England can build a team capable of challenging for the World Cup title in 2027.

Borthwick remains determined to keep Freeman at centre

Henry Slade has been in fabulous form for Exeter this season but still hasn't done enough to get back into the starting team. Instead, Borthwick has opted for a bulky midfield of Atkinson and Freeman to take on the Springboks. Freeman is yet to really shine at centre for his country and Rassie Erasmus will undoubtedly be looking to target his inexperience in defence. George Furbank being selected at fullback ahead of Freddie Steward gives England a second playmaker and thus gives Borthwick the licence to pick a weapon in midfield rather than a creator.

England are going to be more expansive

As I mentioned above, Furbank being picked at fullback gives England a second playmaker. Previously, Borthwick has selected Steward for his aerial prowess and focused more on matching South Africa's physicality and kicking game. This time he has been more aggressive. Hopefully England have now learned from their tactical errors in the Six Nations and Lee Blackett will finally be given licence to properly implement his multi-phase attacking system. England are massive underdogs against South Africa but a good performance will buy the team some patience before their must-win games against Fiji and Argentina.

England team to play South Africa

1.Ellis Genge 2.Jamie George(C) 3.Joe Heyes 4.Alex Coles 5.George Martin 

6.Ollie Chessum 7.Tom Curry 8.Ben Earl 9.Jack van Poortvliet 10.Fin Smith

11.Cadan Murley 12.Seb Atkinson 13.Tommy Freeman 14.Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 15.George Furbank

Bench

16.Luke Cowan-Dickie 17.Beno Obano 18.Asher Opoku-Fordjour 19.Charlie Ewels

20.Guy Pepper 21.Henry Pollock 22.Alex Mitchell 23.Marcus Smith