England’s Nations Championship plans hit by Pepper and Van Rensburg double blow

Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, has acknowledged he will approach this weekend’s domestic Premiership matches with caution. Already, he has lost at least two likely key squad members for the entire autumn campaign—Guy Pepper and Benhard van Rensburg—while doubts persist over first-choice fly-half Fin Smith, and fresh injury concerns emerge almost daily.

Pepper’s participation seemed unlikely from the moment he suffered a serious ankle injury during last Friday’s match against Gloucester. The young Bath flanker will be out for several weeks, alongside Bristol centre Van Rensburg, who has been instructed to rest and recover following two severe concussions over the past three months.