Trio give England fitness boost ahead of New Zealand showdown

England have been reinforced for Saturday’s blockbuster fixture against New Zealand after George Furbank, Seb Atkinson and Ollie Chessum were given the green light to resume training.

All three were injured in the mauling of Australia that opened the autumn, forcing them to miss Saturday’s 78-15 rout of Japan, but have been restored to the 36-man squad that is preparing for the All Blacks’ visit to Allianz Stadium.

Furbank is expected to oust Freddie Steward at full-back and Atkinson is likely to replace Max Ojomoh at inside centre, while the return of Chessum could force a reshuffle in the back five of the pack.

The trio were influential performers as Australia were crushed 45-22 and, barring any setbacks in training, they are sure to feature in the starting XV named by head coach Steve Borthwick on Thursday.

Borthwick made 10 changes against Japan to give fringe players the chance to impress as the countdown to next year’s World continues, but he will revert to his strongest team for England’s bid to claim a place in the Nations Championship final on November 29.