Roebuck and Steward injuries likely to trigger major England reshuffle against Fiji
Injuries to Tom Roebuck and Freddie Steward look likely to trigger an eye-catching reshuffle in England’s backline for the Test against Fiji on Saturday.Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell and Ollie Lawrence are all in contention to be involved, with Manny Feyi-Waboso potentially the solitary starting back-three survivor from the victory against Australia last Saturday.The head coach, Steve Borthwick, had been hoping to announce his starting XV early this week only for that plan to be mothballed when Roebuck limped out of training prematurely on Tuesday with an ankle problem.Steward has not trained so far this week after sustaining a finger injury late in the win against the Wallabies, opening the way for Smith to replace him at full-back.Roebuck was an influential figure against Australia, his aerial skills contributing to two of England’s four tries, but if he is ruled unavailable England are not short of options.
In an ideal world the management are keen to continue their experiment of deploying Tommy Freeman at centre, which leaves Arundell and Cadan Murley vying for slots in the matchday 23.And if the dancing Smith starts at 15, a bigger ball-carrying presence such as Lawrence would offer useful midfield balance.Arundell, meanwhile, has not played for England since departing for the French Top 14 following the 2023 World Cup, during which he scored five tries in a single game against Chile.He has been in excellent form this season for Bath and, with his 23rd birthday looming on Saturday, is itching for another chance to show off his startling pace at the highest level.“It’s great to have him back and to see him score a crazy amount of tries already in the Prem,” the England assistant coach Kevin Sinfield said.
“He’s been good in training and is banging on the door.”If Arundell, Feyi-Waboso and Smith do all start they would rank alongside the most elusive and attack-minded back three England have fielded.Sinfield is also convinced that Smith can develop into a top international full-back if he is not needed at fly-half, particularly in the absence of the injured George Furbank and Elliot Daly.“I think he is a world-class full-back,” Sinfield said.“A big part of his Lions inclusion, so I am told, was down to the fact he could cover 15.
So we have got a world-class 10 but also a world-class 15.He is different to a lot of other full-backs worldwide but as you know he can beat people and he can be that second ball player for us.“Marcus’s preference, and I totally understand this, would be to play at 10 but you look across rugby, rugby league and football and there is an understanding that people play out of position from time to time to try and get your best players on the field.Sign up to The BreakdownThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewedafter newsletter promotion“You only have to look back to the England football ‘golden generation’ when they tried all those different combinations but I don’t think anyone actually said to them: ‘You guys work it out.’ They probably would have done if they were told that.
”Sinfield has played with and coached some seriously good players in both rugby codes so it was also a major compliment when he compared Feyi-Waboso to a cross-code legend,“He reminds me a lot of Jason Robinson,” Sinfield said,“I don’t think I have come across anybody as powerful, or as explosive over that first couple of metres,“Rob Burrow was very explosive but he wouldn’t have had the muscle mass that Manny has,Jason is probably the most similar player we’ve had.
..his ability to pull through tackles, the strength in his hips.There aren’t many players like that.”
Pound hits lowest since April as investors anticipate budget tax rises; markets hit by AI valuation jitters – as it happened
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Gopichand Hinduja, head of Britain’s richest family, dies aged 85
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Primark owner’s boss urges Reeves not to hit shoppers with budget tax rises
The boss of Primark’s parent group has urged Rachel Reeves to avoid hitting consumers with a repeat of last year’s tax-heavy budget which he claimed sent the retailer’s sales into reverse, saying “don’t do it again”.As the chancellor prepares to make her budget speech on 26 November, George Weston, the chief executive of Associated British Foods (ABF), said: “A budget this late has the potential to have an enormous impact on Christmas trading.”Weston said “any tax rises are going to have an impact on consumer confidence,” but urged Reeves to “tax the rich folks” instead of opting for a sweeping rise in VAT or income tax that would affect most households.Weston said Primark’s Christmas ranges were now “trading really well in the UK and we have got some wind in our sails” but he said that if you considered the outlook for consumer spending “you could be gloomy”.He said that the chain’s sales reversed from growth before last year’s budget, to a steep drop-off in the run-up to Christmas
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City watchdog ‘nakedly’ siding with lenders on car finance redress, MPs say
The City regulator has “nakedly taken the side of lenders” in its planned compensation scheme for car loan victims and has been “patently influenced” by concerns over profits, a group of cross-party MPs have claimed.The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Banking joined a growing chorus of critics concerned about the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposed redress scheme, which is meant to compensate borrowers who were overcharged as a result of commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers.The APPG’s latest report has accused the regulator of buying into “doom-mongering” by lenders who claim that a large compensation bill would risk spooking investors and causing lasting damage to the UK economy.That was at the expense of car loan victims who they said were due up to £15.6bn, rather than the £8
Outrage in Paris as Shein prepares to open its first permanent store
The online fast-fashion retailer Shein will open its first permanent bricks-and-mortar store in the world in Paris this week amid political outrage, fury from workers and warnings from city hall that it will damage the French capital’s progressive image.The Singapore-based clothing company, which was founded in China, has built a massive online business despite criticism over its factory working conditions and the environmental impact of low-cost, throwaway fashion.Shein, which has previously trialled temporary pop-up stores, will on Wednesday open a permanent shop on the sixth floor of Paris’s prestigious BHV department store, a historic building that has stood opposite Paris’s city hall since 1856. There are about 23 million Shein customers in France, one of its biggest European markets.But with vast banners for Shein draped across the building, the brand’s arrival has sparked outrage over the promotion of fast fashion
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