Murley Out as England Injuries Pile Up Before Fiji
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- Cadan Murley has been ruled out of England's Nations Championship clash against Fiji on July 11 with an injury suffered in the 45-21 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg, deepening a back-three selection headache for Steve Borthwick.
- Beno Obano also misses the Fiji fixture after returning to the England squad for the first time since February 2023, with uncapped prop Emmanuel Iyogun called up in his place after three appearances for England A.
- Chandler Cunningham-South is recalled to bolster England's back row following a difficult season with Harlequins, who finished ninth in the Gallagher PREM.
- Marcus Smith started at full-back against South Africa despite primarily playing fly-half for club and country, with George Furbank already sidelined by appendix surgery and Freddie Steward still under assessment for an ankle injury.
- Steve Borthwick is under mounting pressure after five consecutive Test defeats and England's lowest-ever Six Nations finish, with a loss at Liverpool's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday piling further scrutiny on the head coach.
- England's Nations Championship summer continues with a trip to face Argentina in Cordoba on July 18, leaving Borthwick little time to halt the slide before the final fixture.
Why it matters: Borthwick's selection cupboard is bare — Murley joins Furbank and the under-assessment Steward in the treatment room, and a fifth straight Test defeat would extend England's worst run in years on the back of a record-low Six Nations, with the Argentina tour still to come.
