England Secures Ninth Straight Victory Over Physical Fiji
Quilter Nations Series
England (14) 38
Tries: Cowan-Dickie, Feyi-Waboso, Genge, George, Arundell, Itoje Cons: F Smith 5
Fiji (13) 18
Tries: Ikanivere 2, Muntz Pen: Muntz
England racked up 4 tries after halftime to beat a tough Fijian team in their latest autumn international.
This win extends the English team's winning run to nine matches and supports their win over Australia last Saturday.
The home side got on the board first through hooker Cowan-Dickie before Fiji responded with tries by Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.
Number ten Muntz failed to convert either try but slotted a penalty goal to take the Fijians further ahead before Feyi-Waboso crossed.
Ellis Genge and the Fijian hooker then traded scores to spark an exciting final forty minutes.
Substitutes Jamie George and Arundell, who demonstrated his scintillating pace, finished off tries to take the English side clear.
These tries came around Fiji scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli fumbling the ball when going for the tryline.
Skipper Itoje, who also entered as a substitute, grabbed the last touchdown.
The English team now face the All Blacks next Saturday in their biggest challenge on paper this autumn.
Fiji Begin Strongly to Challenge England
Prior to this match, the English team had won 8 of their 9 matches with Fiji – most recently winning 30-24 in the last eight of the 2023 World Cup.
Their sole loss came just weeks before the competition in France and was a significant shift under the head coach.
With the Pacific Islanders on a five-match winning run – their equal best streak since the late nineties – the fixture was always likely to be competitive.
Following smooth attacking phases, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before the hooker barged over for the first try from close range, with the Fijian's score off the back of a driving maul providing a swift reply.
Nicknamed the flying Fijians, that was clear in defense through huge first-half midfield hits, with number fifteen Marcus Smith, deployed as a additional playmaker, in particular picked out.
But it was the classic attacking Fijian flare that was the standout moment in the first forty as passes out of the tackle cut England's defence open for the fly-half to touch down.
Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a cross-field kick by Smith to take the hosts into the lead after he had been dangerously taken out in the air by Ravutaumada, who was awarded a yellow card following a video review.
England's Impact Substitutes Shines Once More
The English team broke clear from the Wallabies last Saturday in the last twenty minutes through the impact of their replacements that included six British and Irish Lions.
A much-changed starting lineup from the victory over the Wallabies did score the next try as Genge crossed following a strong carry by Lawrence, who was returning to the national side after suffering his Achilles tendon against Italy in March.
However, after a clever line-out move was completed by Ikanivere, Borthwick introduced several of his substitutes on the 54th minute – including Lions players Pollock and Curry.
With the match still up for grabs, Fiji scrum-half the halfback lost control of the ball when reaching for the tryline to cancel out substitute the hooker's score.
Flanker Ben Earl, who scored versus Australia, produced a spectacular try-saving tackle to maintain breathing room between the sides.
It topped off another all-round impressive display by the flanker, who received consecutive player-of-the-match awards.
The substitute's speed to chase down a kick through demonstrated exactly why the English replacements is so influential.
It is full of top players and talent, which has aided in victories in the final quarter that were lost against the Wallabies and New Zealand the previous fall.
Considering Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, Borthwick's side will feel confident of making a big statement next week.
Should they win, the substitutes will probably again be crucial.
Team Sheets
England: M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Coles, Chessum, Pepper, Earl, Cunningham-South
Replacements: George, Baxter, Opoku-Fordjour, Itoje, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, Arundell
Fiji: Rayasi; Ravutaumada, Ravouvou, Tuisova, Wainiqolo; Muntz, Kuruvoli; Mawi, Ikanivere, Doge, Nasilasila, Mayanavanua, Sowakula, Canakaivata, Mata
Replacements: Togiatama, Hetet, Tawake, Vocevoce, Murray, Wye, Armstrong-Ravula, Maqala
Sin-bin: Ravutaumada
Refereeing Team
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referee: Luc Ramos (France) and Katsuki Furuse (Japan)
Television match official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
