England Claims Ninth Consecutive Victory Against Tough Fijian Side
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
The English squad notched four second-half tries to overcome a resilient Fijian team in their second fall test match.
This win extends the English team's winning run to nine games and backs up their win over Australia last Saturday.
England got on the board first through hooker Cowan-Dickie before the visitors answered back with tries by Tevita Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.
Fly-half the Fijian playmaker failed to convert either try but kicked a penalty goal to take the Fijians further ahead before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso crossed.
Ellis Genge and the Fijian hooker then exchanged tries to ignite an thrilling final forty minutes.
Replacements Jamie George and Arundell, who displayed his blistering speed, finished off tries to take the hosts into a comfortable lead.
These tries came either side of Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli spilling the ball when attempting to score.
Skipper Itoje, who also came off the bench, secured the final try.
Borthwick's side now meet the All Blacks next Saturday in their toughest test on paper this autumn.
The Fijians Start Fast to Pressure The English
Prior to this match, the English team had claimed victory in 8 of their nine games with the Fijian side – most lately winning a close contest in the last eight of the 2023 World Cup.
Their sole loss came just weeks before the tournament in Europe and was a significant shift under the head coach.
With the Pacific Islanders on a five-match winning run – their joint longest streak since the late nineties – the fixture was always likely to be competitive.
After slick phase play, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before the hooker forced his way over for the first try from short distance, with the Fijian's score off the back of a maul adding a swift reply.
Known as the Flying Fijians, that was evident in defense through powerful opening period tackles in the center, with full-back Smith, deployed as a additional playmaker, in especial targeted.
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 score.
The winger sharply finished a kick across the field by Fin Smith to take England ahead after he had been illegally challenged in the air by Selestino Ravutaumada, who was awarded a sin-binning following a video review.
England's Star Bench Shines Once More
England pulled away from the Wallabies last Saturday in the last twenty minutes through the power of their replacements that contained multiple Lions tourists.
A much-changed starting lineup from the win over the Australians did grab the following touchdown as Genge crossed following a powerful run by Lawrence, who was making his international comeback after tearing his Achilles tendon against Italy in spring.
However, after a clever set piece was completed by the Fijian, the coach unloaded several of his bench on the 54th minute – including Lions players Pollock and Curry.
With the match still in the balance, Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli lost control of the ball when stretching for the goal line to cancel out substitute the hooker's score.
Breakdown specialist Earl, a try-scorer versus Australia, produced a stunning try-saving tackle to keep a narrow lead between the teams.
It capped another all-round impressive display by the flanker, who received consecutive player-of-the-match awards.
The substitute's speed to race on to a kick through showcased exactly why England's bench is so influential.
It is packed with stars and quality, which has aided in victories in the final quarter that were lost versus Australia and the All Blacks last autumn.
Given Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, the English team will feel confident of making a big statement next week.
Should they win, the bench will probably play another key factor.
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)
