The English Team Earns Ninth Consecutive Win Over Tough Fijian Side

Autumn International 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 scored 4 second-half tries to defeat a physical Fijian team in their second fall test match.

This win extends the English team's winning run to nine matches and follows up their win over Australia last Saturday.

England got on the board first through hooker Cowan-Dickie before Fiji answered back with tries by Ikanivere and Muntz.

Fly-half the Fijian playmaker failed to convert either try but kicked a penalty to take the Fijians further clear before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored.

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

Substitutes Jamie George and Henry Arundell, who displayed his blistering speed, touched down to take the English side clear.

Those scores came around Fijian halfback Simi Kuruvoli fumbling the ball when attempting to score.

England captain Maro Itoje, who also came off the bench, scored the last touchdown.

The English team now meet the All Blacks this coming weekend in their toughest test theoretically this autumn.

Before this encounter, the English team had claimed victory in eight of their 9 matches with Fiji – most lately taking a close contest in the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup.

That one defeat came just weeks before the tournament in France and was a significant shift under Borthwick.

With Fiji on a five-match winning run – their joint longest streak since the late nineties – the game was always expected to be competitive.

Following smooth attacking phases, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South made good ground before the hooker forced his way over for the opening score from short distance, with the Fijian's score off the back of a maul providing a quick response.

Known as the Flying Fijians, that was evident in defense through monstrous opening period midfield hits, with full-back 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 opening half as passes out of the tackle sliced through the English defense for Muntz to score.

Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a kick across the field by Smith to take the hosts into the lead after he had been dangerously taken out in the air by Selestino Ravutaumada, who was given a sin-binning following a bunker review.

England pulled away from the Wallabies last Saturday in the last twenty minutes through the strength of their replacements that included multiple British and Irish Lions.

A much-changed starting XV from the victory over the Australians did score the next try as the prop crossed following a powerful run by Ollie Lawrence, who was returning to the national side after suffering his Achilles tendon versus Italy in spring.

Nonetheless, after a smart line-out move was completed by the Fijian, the coach unloaded several of his substitutes on the 54-minute mark – including Lions players Henry Pollock and Curry.

With the match still in the balance, Fiji scrum-half the halfback lost control of the ball when stretching for the goal line to cancel out substitute George's try.

Breakdown specialist Earl, who scored against Australia, produced a stunning try-saving tackle to keep a narrow lead between the sides.

It capped another all-round impressive display by Earl, who picked up consecutive player-of-the-match awards.

Arundell's pace to race on to a kick through showcased exactly why England's bench is so impactful.

It is full of stars and quality, which has helped secure wins in the closing stages that were lost against the Wallabies and New Zealand last autumn.

Considering Scotland ran New Zealand close, the English team will feel confident of sending a message this weekend.

If successful, the substitutes will probably again be crucial.

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)