England Claims 9th Consecutive Win 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 notched four tries after halftime to defeat a physical Fiji side in their second fall test match.
The victory extends Steve Borthwick's side's winning run to nine matches and follows up their win over the Wallabies the previous weekend.
England got on the board first through hooker Cowan-Dickie before the visitors answered back with tries by Tevita Ikanivere and Muntz.
Number ten Muntz missed both conversions but nailed a penalty to take the Fijians further ahead before Feyi-Waboso scored.
Ellis Genge and the Fijian hooker then exchanged tries to ignite an entertaining second half.
Substitutes George and Henry Arundell, who displayed his scintillating pace, finished off tries to take the English side into a comfortable lead.
These tries came either side of Fijian halfback Kuruvoli fumbling the ball when going for the tryline.
Skipper Itoje, who also came off the bench, grabbed the last touchdown.
The English team now meet the All Blacks this coming weekend in their toughest test on paper this fall.
Fiji Begin Strongly to Pressure England
Before this meeting, England had won 8 of their 9 games with Fiji – most recently winning a close contest in the last eight of the last global tournament.
That one defeat came two months prior the tournament in Europe and was a significant shift under Borthwick.
With Fiji on a five-match winning run – their equal best streak since the late nineties – the fixture was always expected to be competitive.
Following slick phase play, number eight Cunningham-South made good ground before Cowan-Dickie barged over for the opening score from close range, with Ikanivere's try off the back of a maul adding a swift reply.
Known as the flying Fijians, that was apparent in defence through monstrous first-half midfield hits, with number fifteen Marcus Smith, used as a additional playmaker, in particular targeted.
But it was the vintage Fijian attacking flair that was the standout moment in the first forty as offloads sliced through the English defense for the fly-half to touch down.
The winger expertly collected a cross-field kick by Smith to take the hosts ahead after he had been dangerously taken out in the air by Ravutaumada, who was given a sin-binning following a video review.
The English Impact Substitutes Shines Once More
England broke clear from the Wallabies the previous weekend in the last twenty minutes through the power of their replacements that contained six British and Irish Lions.
A significantly altered starting XV from the win over the Wallabies did score the following touchdown as Genge went over following a strong carry by Lawrence, who was making his international comeback after suffering his Achilles against Italy in March.
However, after a clever set piece was finished by Ikanivere, Borthwick unloaded several of his bench on the 54th minute – featuring Lions players Henry Pollock and Tom Curry.
With the game still up for grabs, Fijian number nine Kuruvoli fumbled of the ball when stretching for the tryline to cancel out substitute George's try.
Flanker Earl, who scored versus Australia, produced a spectacular game-saving stop to keep breathing room between the sides.
It capped another outstanding overall performance by Earl, who picked up consecutive player-of-the-match awards.
Arundell's pace to chase down a grubber kick showcased exactly why England's bench is so influential.
It is full of top players and quality, which has helped secure wins in the closing stages that were lost versus Australia and the All Blacks last autumn.
Considering Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, Borthwick's side will fancy their chances of sending a message this weekend.
Should they win, the substitutes will likely again be crucial.
Line-ups
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
Match Officials
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referee: Luc Ramos (France) and Katsuki Furuse (Japan)
Television match official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
