The English Team Claims Ninth Straight Victory Against Physical 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

England racked up 4 tries after halftime to overcome a physical Fiji side in their latest autumn international.

This win continues Steve Borthwick's side's winning run to nine matches and supports their triumph over the Wallabies the previous weekend.

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

Number ten Muntz missed both conversions but kicked a penalty goal to take the Fijians further clear before Feyi-Waboso scored.

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

Substitutes George and Henry Arundell, who showed his blistering speed, finished off tries to take the English side into a comfortable lead.

Those scores came either side of Fiji scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli spilling the ball when going for the tryline.

Skipper Maro Itoje, who also came off the bench, secured the last touchdown.

Borthwick's side now meet New Zealand this coming weekend in their biggest challenge on paper this autumn.

Before this match, England had claimed victory in eight of their nine games with the Fijian side – 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 Borthwick.

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

Following smooth attacking phases, back rower 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 adding a swift reply.

Nicknamed the flying Fijians, that was evident in defence through huge opening period midfield hits, with number fifteen Smith, deployed as a second playmaker, in particular picked out.

But it was the classic attacking Fijian flare that was the highlight in the first forty as passes out of the tackle cut England's defence open for the fly-half to score.

Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a kick across the field by Smith to take England into the lead after he had been dangerously taken out in the air by Ravutaumada, who was given 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 six Lions tourists.

A much-changed starting XV from the victory over the Australians did score the next try as Genge crossed following a powerful run by Lawrence, who was making his international comeback after suffering his Achilles versus the Italians in spring.

Nonetheless, after a smart set piece was finished by Ikanivere, the coach introduced five of his substitutes on the 54th minute – featuring Lions tourists Henry Pollock and Tom Curry.

With the match still in the balance, Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli fumbled of the ball when reaching for the tryline to negate replacement George's try.

Flanker Ben Earl, a try-scorer against Australia, produced a stunning try-saving tackle to maintain a narrow lead between the teams.

It capped another outstanding overall display by the flanker, who received consecutive player-of-the-match awards.

The substitute's speed to chase down a kick through showcased exactly why England's bench is so influential.

It is packed with top players and quality, which has aided in victories in the final quarter that were lost against Australia and the All Blacks the previous fall.

Considering the Scottish side pushed the All Blacks hard, the English team will feel confident of sending a message this weekend.

Should they win, the substitutes will likely 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)