England Earns Ninth Consecutive Victory Against Tough 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 4 tries after halftime to defeat a resilient Fijian team in their latest fall test match.

This win lengthens the English team'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 Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.

Fly-half Muntz failed to convert either try but nailed a penalty goal to take the Fijians further clear before Feyi-Waboso scored.

Prop Genge and Ikanivere then exchanged tries to ignite an thrilling final forty minutes.

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

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

England captain Maro Itoje, who also came off the bench, grabbed the final try.

Borthwick's side now face the All Blacks this coming weekend in their toughest test theoretically this fall.

Before this match, the English team had claimed victory in eight of their nine games with the Fijian side – most recently taking 30-24 in the quarter-finals of the last global tournament.

That one defeat 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 1999 – the fixture was always likely to be hard-fought.

After smooth attacking phases, number eight Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before Cowan-Dickie barged over for the first try from short distance, with the Fijian's score 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 Smith, used as a second playmaker, in particular targeted.

But it was the classic attacking Fijian flare that was the highlight in the opening half as offloads cut England's defence open for the fly-half to touch down.

Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a kick across the field by Fin Smith to take the hosts into the lead after he had been illegally challenged 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 impact of their replacements that included six British and Irish Lions.

A much-changed starting lineup from the victory over the Australians 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 versus Italy in March.

Nonetheless, after a smart line-out move was completed by the Fijian, Borthwick unloaded several of his substitutes on the 54th minute – featuring Lions players Pollock and Tom Curry.

With the match still in the balance, Fijian number nine the halfback fumbled of the ball when stretching for the tryline to cancel out substitute George's try.

Flanker Earl, who scored against the Wallabies, produced a stunning game-saving stop to maintain breathing room between the sides.

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

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

It is full of stars and quality, which has helped secure wins in the final quarter that were squandered versus the Wallabies and New Zealand the previous fall.

Given the Scottish side ran New Zealand close, the English team will fancy their chances of making a big statement next week.

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)