England extended its winning streak to nine matches with a hard-fought 38–18 victory over a spirited Fiji side at Twickenham on Saturday.
In a thrilling contest that swung both ways, England only managed to pull clear late in the game when winger Henry Arundell crossed in the 69th minute. Fiji’s flair and physicality kept the hosts on edge, but two yellow cards and missed conversions proved costly for the Pacific Islanders.
England ran in six tries to claim its longest winning run in eight years — an ideal setup ahead of next weekend’s blockbuster clash against Grand Slam-chasing New Zealand.
“Fiji are full of absolute mavericks — lightning bolts everywhere,” said stand-in captain Ellis Genge. “We spoke about finishing well, and I was really proud of how the boys closed it out.”
The Pacific Nations Cup champions were chasing their own slice of history — a sixth consecutive Test win — but England’s composure under pressure denied them.
England made seven changes from the side that beat Australia 25–7, yet wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie crashed over from a maul. Fiji hit back immediately through captain Tevita Ikanivere before fly-half Caleb Muntz added a try and penalty to stretch the visitors’ lead to 13–7.
Momentum shifted when Fiji winger Selestino Ravutaumada was shown a yellow card for a dangerous aerial challenge. England capitalized, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso finishing off a clever cross-kick from Fin Smith to edge the hosts ahead 14–13 at halftime.
After the break, Ollie Lawrence’s dazzling break set up Genge for a try before Ikanivere’s second effort kept Fiji within touching distance at 21–18. But England’s bench made the difference. With Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, and a fresh front row introduced, the hosts took control as Fiji faltered under renewed pressure.
Replacement hooker Jamie George powered over from a maul before a crucial knock-on denied Fiji scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli a try that could have swung momentum back their way.
England sealed the contest in style: Arundell showed blistering pace to chase down a Marcus Smith kick for the fifth try, and captain Maro Itoje — making his first appearance off the bench since 2017 — powered over from close range to cap the win.
English