🔗 Share this article England Claims 9th Straight Win Over Tough Fiji 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 scored four tries after halftime to overcome a resilient Fijian team in their second autumn international. The victory continues the English team's undefeated streak to nine games and backs up their win over Australia last Saturday. The home side opened the scoring through hooker Cowan-Dickie before the visitors answered back with tries by Tevita Ikanivere and Muntz. Number ten Muntz failed to convert either try but slotted a penalty goal to take the Fijians further ahead before Feyi-Waboso scored. Ellis Genge and Ikanivere then exchanged tries to begin an entertaining final forty minutes. Substitutes George and Henry Arundell, who displayed his blistering speed, finished off tries to take the English side into a comfortable lead. These tries came around Fijian halfback Kuruvoli spilling the ball when going for the tryline. England captain Maro Itoje, who also came off the bench, grabbed the final try. Borthwick's side now meet the All Blacks next Saturday in their biggest challenge on paper this fall. The Fijians Start Fast to Challenge England Prior to this meeting, the English team had won eight of their 9 matches with the Fijian side – most recently winning 30-24 in the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup. Their sole loss came just weeks before the competition in Europe and was a significant shift under Borthwick. With the Pacific Islanders on a five-match winning run – their joint longest streak since 1999 – the fixture was always expected to be tight. After slick phase play, number eight Chandler Cunningham-South made good ground before Cowan-Dickie forced his way 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 evident in defense through huge first-half midfield hits, with full-back Smith, deployed as a second playmaker, in especial picked out. But it was the classic attacking Fijian flare that was the highlight in the opening half as offloads sliced through the English defense for Muntz to touch down. 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 given a sin-binning following a video review. England's Star Bench Shines Once More England pulled away from the Wallabies last Saturday in the final quarter through the power of their bench that included multiple Lions tourists. A significantly altered starting XV from the victory over the Australians did score the following touchdown as the prop crossed following a strong carry by Lawrence, who was making his international comeback after tearing 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 bench on the 54th minute – featuring Lions players Henry Pollock and Tom Curry. With the game still up for grabs, Fijian number nine Kuruvoli lost control of the ball when reaching for the tryline to cancel out replacement the hooker's score. Breakdown specialist Earl, a try-scorer versus the Wallabies, produced a spectacular game-saving stop to keep breathing room between the teams. It topped off another all-round impressive display by the flanker, who picked up back-to-back player-of-the-match awards. The substitute's speed 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 aided in victories in the closing stages that were squandered versus Australia and the All Blacks the previous fall. Considering the Scottish side pushed the All Blacks hard, the English team will fancy their chances of making a big statement next week. Should they win, the bench will likely again be crucial. Team Sheets 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)