Steve Borthwick returned to the beat this weekend following his stay of execution from the RFU last Tuesday.
The England manager attended Gloucester’s victory over Sale at Kingsholm on Friday night. On Saturday, he was at Welford Road for what must have been the PREM weekend’s high point: a Leicester masterclass and George Martin’s timely reminder of his calibre.Martin is back in shape, and when he is in shape, he is extremely strong and unyielding.
The Leicester lock, who guided his team to a 41-17 thrashing of Northampton, is just what England need for their upcoming match, which is the difficult Nations Championship opening against South Africa in Johannesburg on July 4. Martin hasn’t had an easy year, and his first start and just third game since February 2025 came on Saturday in the East Midlands’ crushing defeat of his team’s fierce rivals.
He last participated in an international match at that time. Since then, the big-hitting lock headed to Saracens has been sidelined due to a mix of knee and shoulder problems. He has been a great loss for both the club and the nation. Martin proposes a solution as Borthwick searches for methods to improve England’s situation.
“Sometimes you just need a proper hard f***er to go around and hit people,” an influential English rugby insider told Daily Mail Sport at Welford Road on Saturday.
That’s precisely what Martin delivers, without diminishing his level of expertise. He employs all of his natural stature, standing 6 feet 6 inches and weighing 20 stones. Even though Martin is only 24 years old, Borthwick thinks highly of him and would have welcomed his return to Leicester’s starting lineup this weekend.
Lock George Martin rejoined Leicester’s starting lineup on Saturday, which is fantastic news for the TIgers and England.
South Africa is England’s next opponent, and Martin has a history of doing well against them, having done so in the 2023 World Cup semifinal loss.
Despite having no opportunity to play, Martin has continued to participate in England camps during his time on the sidelines.There are 25 players with elite England contracts, including him. He plays a crucial role in Borthwick’s operations.
As he works his way back to 100% fitness, Martin was temporarily replaced after 49 minutes of play against Northampton.
To the Tigers’ dismay, Martin had made appearances off the bench against Newcastle and Saracens, the team he will join this summer, before starting against the Saints. Leicester fervently wanted him to stay when he passed through their system, but he decided to move on in order to start over following his injuries.
Alongside his legendary England and Leicester lock colleague Ollie Chessum, Martin was outstanding in the crushing of Northampton.After the game, Chessum declared, “We have the real George Martin back.” Over the past three or four years, I can probably count on one hand how many times George and I have been able to start together. It’s great to have him back.
I’m not sure if George’s efforts have been sufficiently acknowledged. You could see he was having trouble during Christmas. He had been absent for about a year. In the training setting, he is fantastic. It was even wonderful to see him begin, and he has been amazing.
It makes sense that Borthwick might not want to rush Martin back into Test duty given how long he has been away. It will be difficult to ignore him, though, if he keeps getting back to full shape and puts on the kind of incredible performance he had over the weekend. In the contact area and at the line-out, Chessum and Martin assisted in completely destroying the Saints. He skilfully moved his hideous body across the pitch.
Martin’s strength and power are unmatched by many English attackers. It’s also crucial to remember that Martin has a history of performing well against South Africa, having done so during the 2023 World Cup semifinal loss. The benchmark for physicality was set by the Springboks. England must equal Rassie Erasmus’ team there in order to have a chance. With Martin on the side, their chances of succeeding increase.
The benchmark for physicality was set by the Springboks. England must equal Rassie Erasumus’ team there in order to have a chance. With Martin on the team, their chances increase.
Despite having no opportunity to play, Martin has continued to participate in England camps during his time on the sidelines.
Chessum may stay on the blindside flank, where he thrived in England’s most recent match when they were defeated by France in Paris, if he were to rejoin captain Maro Itoje in the second row.
Borthwick will be pleased with his forward stocks because Chessum has been in absolutely fantastic form this season and Itoje appears to be reviving with Saracens.
But Leicester will be Martin’s top priority. Due to his extended layoff, he should be healthy for the championship run-in, and based on their devastation of Northampton, he might be able to assist Geoff Parling’s Tigers in their final season. He will return to the England group this summer in an attempt to increase his 21 caps, provided he remains healthy.
It can’t come fast enough for Martin, Borthwick, and the national team.
