England Secures Ninth Consecutive Win Against 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 notched four second-half tries to beat a physical Fijian team in their latest fall test match.

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

England opened the scoring through hooker Cowan-Dickie before the visitors answered back with scores by Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.

Number ten Muntz failed to convert either try but slotted a penalty goal to take the visitors further clear before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso crossed.

Prop Genge and the Fijian hooker then exchanged tries to ignite an thrilling second half.

Replacements Jamie George and Arundell, who demonstrated his blistering speed, finished off tries to take the English side into a comfortable lead.

Those scores came around Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli spilling the ball when attempting to score.

England captain Itoje, who also entered as a substitute, grabbed the final try.

Borthwick's side now play the All Blacks next Saturday in their toughest test on paper this fall.

Prior to this match, England had won eight of their nine games with the Fijian side – most recently winning a close contest in the last eight of the 2023 World Cup.

That one defeat came just weeks before the tournament in France and was a major turning point under the head coach.

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

After slick phase play, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South made good ground before the hooker barged over for the first try from short distance, with the Fijian's score off the back of a driving maul adding a swift reply.

Known as the Flying Fijians, that was apparent in defense through powerful first-half tackles in the center, with number fifteen Marcus Smith, used 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 offloads sliced through the English defense for Muntz to score.

The winger expertly collected a cross-field kick by Smith to take the hosts into the lead after he had been illegally challenged in the air by Ravutaumada, who was awarded a yellow card following a bunker review.

The English team pulled away from Australia the previous weekend in the last twenty minutes through the impact of their bench that included multiple Lions tourists.

A significantly altered starting lineup from the win over the Wallabies did grab the next try as the prop went over following a strong carry by Ollie Lawrence, who was returning to the national side after suffering his Achilles versus Italy in spring.

Nonetheless, after a clever set piece was finished by Ikanivere, Borthwick unloaded five of his bench on the 54-minute mark – including Lions players Henry Pollock and Curry.

With the match still up for grabs, 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, a try-scorer against Australia, produced a spectacular game-saving stop to maintain a narrow lead between the teams.

It topped off another outstanding overall performance by Earl, who picked up back-to-back man of the match honors.

Arundell's pace to race on to a kick through showcased exactly why the English replacements is so influential.

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

Considering Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, Borthwick's side will feel confident of making a big statement this weekend.

If successful, the bench will probably 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)