England full-back George Furbank is ruled out of the team’s Nations Championship opener against South Africa in Johannesburg due to appendicitis, according to multiple reports. He is withdrawn from the squad ahead of the match and is not expected to play. The outlets also report that Furbank was set to make his first England appearance since 2024, making the absence a delayed start to his international return.
While the immediate focus is the South Africa Test on Saturday, there are indications the injury could affect the remainder of England’s summer fixtures. Sky Sports and Sky News both state that Furbank could miss the entire summer tour, extending the impact beyond a single game. Yahoo Sports and the BBC also confirm his exclusion from the South Africa opener, but present the decision primarily in terms of his current unavailability.
No source quoted provides further details on the severity of the appendicitis or a confirmed return date, but all accounts agree on the cause of the withdrawal and the match he misses.
