Seb Atkinson has been an England international for barely a year, but instead of settling into providing an answer to the running sore of sorting out the nation’s No 12 jersey, he is having to stomach a South African turning up to take it off him.
Sportspeople are, we are told, always accepting of the natural pecking order, with top ex-players Joe Marler and Lawrence Dallaglio telling this paper it’s fine for Benhard Janse van Rensburg to have qualified for England on residency this week, and Atkinson of Gloucester will just have to fight for his place.
Atkinson made his own Test debut in Argentina last summer, but the evidence of this big win is the newcomer Janse van Rensburg is more likely to start over there next Saturday in England’s final Test of a rollercoaster season, in Santiago del Estero.
And that would be a big indicator of England’s thinking for the World Cup next year.
How has Atkinson fared as England No 12?
With Janse van Rensburg not yet available, Atkinson had started last week’s 45-21 loss in South Africa at No 12, and he was criticised in a midweek Instagram post made by Jonathan Joseph, a predecessor in the England midfield, for making an unthreatening pull-back pass and positional kick.
www.instagram.com/p/Dadgg1YhEiz/?hl=enThe 6ft 2ins, 24-year-old Atkinson has the size and forward thrust to be a big pivot at inside centre, but it is not clear yet that he has the ball skills and playmaker’s sangfroid for the highest level.
Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium was a stage fit for flat-track bullying by England against a tired-looking Fiji, who had previously lost to Wales in Cardiff.
And on the horns of a horrible run of five straight Test defeats, England’s head coach Steve Borthwick wasn’t messing about with his tactics or his starting line-up, with Janse van Rensburg and fellow newbies George Kloska and Noah Caluori held on the bench.
How did Atkinson get on against Fiji?
The initial England playbook for a 50,000 crowd on a hot summer’s afternoon was more suited to a muddy pitch in midwinter.
England targeted the Fiji scrum, with a stream of penalties helping generate five tries to none by half-time, including a catch-and-drive for Jamie George.
England also piled Atkinson and fellow centre Henry Slade into mauls, while any hope of a second ever Fiji win over England disappeared when scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli kicked Ellis Genge in first-half added time and was shown a straight red card.
A dreadful ending to a dreadful half for Fiji Kalaveti Ravouvou had just scored Fiji's first try of the match, but Simione Kuruvoli was spotted kicking out at Ellis Genge, and it's a permanent red for the scrum-half #NationsChampionship pic.twitter.com/hVXYiYMd3X
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) July 11, 2026Off the back of all this, Atkinson stood flatter to the line outside fly-half Fin Smith, and showed some punch and verve.
Atkinson’s huge carry into three Fijians off a centre-field scrum on 21 minutes was followed three phases later by a deft through-kick that almost brought a try for Ben Earl.
A collision gave Atkinson a cut head soon after, but he played on, unlike Slade who went off temporarily for a head injury assessment, giving Janse van Rensburg an early Test debut.
The combo of Atkinson and the controversial South African at 12 and 13 was not one any England fan had remotely thought of, not long ago, even while Borthwick was cycling through 17 pairings in his three and a half years as boss.
But here it was, and within a minute Janse van Rensburg had his first Test try with an easy dive-in.
Dream debut Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who's only been on for seconds grabs England's bonus-point try #NationsChampionship pic.twitter.com/WwY4X4CYHm
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) July 11, 2026Who will Borthwick pick to face Argentina?
From Brad Barritt to Owen Farrell to Sam Burgess to Manu Tuilagi in recent years, England have hunted an all-court No 12 to replicate what South Africa and New Zealand have enjoyed with the likes of Damian de Allende and Jordie Barrett.
These names make rarefied company for Atkinson to keep – and unfortunately for his prospects, the second half showed Borthwick has an appetite for the 29-year-old Janse van Rensburg to be the main man instead, combining gainline heft with footballing talent.
With Slade restored, and after the next score went to Fiji, anyone looking for Atkinson to show some more style was scouring the midfield in vain at a 52nd minute line-out.
Instead he stood at the front of the set-piece in a ploy to hammer home England’s numerical advantage.
A northern crowd who for once didn’t have to trail down to London to see their national team were made to wait for later flourishes by Henry Pollock and Caluori to rouse them.
But Borthwick’s line-out tactic certainly put Atkinson in his place, and while a fumble ruined a possible try, he stayed where he was for another line-out, which ended with Manny Feyi-Waboso scoring at the opposite corner, then a racing Pollock made it 47-8.
Within a few minutes Atkinson was subbed off, and Janse van Rensburg paired up with Tommy Freeman as the latter moved in from the wing, for a centre duo the England coaches are known to fancy.
We will of course need proof of the efficacy and longevity of this latest experiment, which has been made possible by Janse van Rensburg’s five years of residency.
A dropped pass from a ball bulleted by the mulleted recruit at Freeman’s chest showed how these things take time, even while England were cantering to victory, with 11 tries.
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