🔗 Share this article England Secures Ninth Consecutive Win Over 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 The English squad scored 4 tries after halftime to defeat a physical Fijian team in their latest fall test match. This win lengthens Steve Borthwick's side's winning run to nine games and follows up their win over the Wallabies last Saturday. England got on the board first through hooker Cowan-Dickie before Fiji answered back with scores by Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz. Fly-half the Fijian playmaker missed both conversions but nailed a penalty goal to take the visitors further ahead before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored. Prop Genge and Ikanivere then traded scores to begin 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 Fiji scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli spilling the ball when attempting to score. England captain Maro Itoje, who also entered as a substitute, grabbed the last touchdown. The English team now meet the All Blacks next Saturday in their biggest challenge theoretically this autumn. Fiji Start Fast to Pressure The English Prior to this encounter, England had claimed victory in 8 of their nine games with Fiji – most lately winning 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 the head coach. With the Pacific Islanders on a five-game streak – their equal best streak since 1999 – the fixture was always likely to be competitive. After smooth attacking phases, back rower Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before the hooker forced his way over for the opening score from close range, 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 defence through huge first-half tackles in the center, with number fifteen Marcus Smith, deployed as a additional playmaker, in especial targeted. But it was the vintage attacking Fijian flare that was the standout moment in the opening half as offloads sliced through the English defense for the fly-half to score. Feyi-Waboso sharply finished a cross-field kick by Smith to take the hosts into the lead after he had been dangerously taken out in the air by Ravutaumada, who was awarded a sin-binning following a bunker review. England's Star Bench Shines Once More The English team broke clear from the Wallabies the previous weekend in the last twenty minutes through the power of their bench that included multiple British and Irish Lions. A much-changed starting lineup from the victory over the Wallabies did score the following touchdown as Genge went over following a powerful run by Ollie Lawrence, who was returning to the national side after suffering his Achilles tendon against the Italians in spring. Nonetheless, after a clever line-out move was finished by the Fijian, Borthwick introduced several of his substitutes on the 54-minute mark – featuring Lions tourists Henry Pollock and Tom Curry. With the game still up for grabs, Fiji scrum-half the halfback fumbled of the ball when stretching for the goal line to cancel out replacement the hooker's score. Breakdown specialist Earl, a try-scorer versus the Wallabies, produced a spectacular try-saving tackle to maintain breathing room between the teams. It capped another all-round impressive performance by the flanker, who picked up consecutive player-of-the-match awards. The substitute's speed to chase down a kick through demonstrated exactly why the English replacements is so influential. It is packed with top players and quality, which has helped secure victories in the final quarter that were squandered versus Australia and the All Blacks the previous fall. Given Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, the English team will fancy their chances of making a big statement this weekend. If successful, 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 Refereeing Team Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) Assistant referee: Luc Ramos (France) and Katsuki Furuse (Japan) Television match official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)