England Claims 9th Straight Victory Over Physical 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 racked up four second-half tries to defeat a physical Fiji side in their latest autumn international.

The victory lengthens the English team's undefeated streak to nine matches and follows up their win over Australia the previous weekend.

The home side opened the scoring through Luke Cowan-Dickie before the visitors responded with tries by Tevita Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.

Number ten the Fijian playmaker missed both conversions but nailed a penalty to take the Fijians further clear before Feyi-Waboso crossed.

Prop Genge and Ikanivere then exchanged tries to begin an entertaining second half.

Replacements George and Henry Arundell, who displayed his scintillating pace, touched down to take the hosts into a comfortable lead.

These tries came around Fiji scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli dropping the ball when attempting to score.

Skipper Itoje, who also entered as a substitute, secured the final try.

Borthwick's side now face the All Blacks next Saturday in their toughest test theoretically this autumn.

Before this match, the English team had claimed victory in eight of their 9 games with the Fijian side – most recently winning 30-24 in the last eight of the 2023 World Cup.

That one defeat came two months prior the tournament in Europe and was a major turning point under Borthwick.

With Fiji on a five-game streak – their equal best streak since 1999 – the game was always likely to be tight.

Following smooth attacking phases, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before the hooker barged over for the opening score from short distance, with Ikanivere's try off the back of a maul providing a swift reply.

Nicknamed the Flying Fijians, that was apparent in defense through powerful opening period tackles in the center, with full-back Marcus Smith, deployed as a second playmaker, in particular picked out.

But it was the vintage Fijian attacking flair that was the standout moment in the first forty as passes out of the tackle cut England's defence open for Muntz to touch down.

Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a cross-field kick by Fin Smith to take England 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.

The English team broke clear from the Wallabies last Saturday in the final quarter through the strength of their bench that included 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 Ollie Lawrence, who was returning to the national side after suffering his Achilles versus Italy in March.

However, after a smart set piece was completed by Ikanivere, Borthwick introduced several of his substitutes on the 54-minute mark – including Lions tourists Henry Pollock and Curry.

With the game still in the balance, Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli lost control of the ball when reaching for the tryline to negate substitute the hooker's score.

Breakdown specialist Ben Earl, a try-scorer versus Australia, produced a stunning game-saving stop to keep a narrow lead between the sides.

It capped another outstanding overall display by Earl, who picked up consecutive man of the match honors.

The substitute's speed to chase down a grubber kick showcased exactly why the English replacements is so influential.

It is packed with top players and quality, which has aided in wins in the closing stages that were lost versus the Wallabies and New Zealand the previous fall.

Given the Scottish side pushed the All Blacks hard, Borthwick's side will fancy their chances of making a big statement this weekend.

Should they win, the substitutes will likely play another key factor.

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

Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

Assistant referee: Luc Ramos (France) and Katsuki Furuse (Japan)

Television match official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)