England are set to start the Harlequins wing Cadan Murley against South Africa on Saturday in the Nations Championship as they seek to rattle the double world champions at Ellis Park. The quick, strong Murley, highly regarded by England’s management, will be charged with running hard at the Springbok defence out wide, with Tommy Freeman likely to retain possession of the No 13 jersey.
Murley, 26, started the final two games of this year’s Six Nations against Italy and France but Manny Feyi-Waboso’s return to fitness opened up the possibility of him missing out against the Boks. Now he appears poised to play a significant role as England seek to end a tough sequence of four successive Test defeats.
While it has not been the easiest of domestic seasons for his club, Harlequins, Murley caught the eye against a France XV in Vannes this month and Kevin Sinfield, the former England rugby league captain, has been among those struck by his resilience since his rollercoaster debut against Ireland almost 18 months ago. “He’s probably not got as many caps as he should have had,” said Sinfield. “I’d have loved to have played alongside him because he’s so positive.
“He’s had some setbacks and some injuries over the last couple of years but I think his game’s improving with every single game. Some guys go into their shell when they go through some adversity … but he’s certainly an example of how you fight back. He’s great to work with.”
England will confirm their starting lineup on Thursday and the prospect of being involved is clearly motivating Murley. “I’m buzzing. There aren’t many people who get the opportunity to play the world champs in their back yard. If I get that opportunity I’ll be so excited. Representing my country is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid.”
Steve Borthwick’s backline options will be extended further from next week when Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensburg, born and bred in South Africa, becomes eligible via residency to play Test rugby for England. It has now emerged the Boks were also considering calling him up to their wider squad this summer until they learned he had formally thrown in his lot with England.
“If I tell the honest truth – and I hope I don’t drop anybody in it – we had conversations with him and he was very keen to come,” said Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s head coach. “But then my CEO asked: ‘Are you going to try and cap him this year?’ And I said: ‘No, I don’t think so.’ Then we wanted to [call him up] in June and give him a chance because we were thin at centre and we had the Barbarians game and the SA A game.” By then, though, Janse van Rensburg had committed to England and is in line to win a first cap against Fiji next week.
England coach Sinfield, meanwhile, says he has been inundated with congratulatory messages, including from England’s former football captain Alan Shearer, since being awarded a knighthood for his charity work on behalf of research into motor neurone disease and his late friend and teammate Rob Burrow. “It’s been really, really nice,” said Sinfield. “It’s been great to come into camp, if I’m honest, to be cocooned away from the noise. The lads have been fantastic. I’ve had a bit of stick – they’ve been calling me Sir Kev – but it’s all been in good jest. I’m just Kev, so I’m trying to work through that.
“One of the first messages I got when the news broke was from Alan Shearer. He got massively involved with Rob in supporting MND charities. Rob was a huge fan of Alan’s … anybody who grew up in that era watching Alan play and the goals he scored would be a fan. It was a lovely message to receive.”
Dafydd Jenkins, meanwhile, has been ruled out of Wales’s Nations Championship games after the Exeter captain aggravated a shoulder injury during the Prem final against Northampton. The 23-year-old will now have surgery and miss his country’s fixtures against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa.
