Preview:England vs. Fiji - prediction, team news, lineups

Week two of the Quilter Nations Series delivers a weekend of enthralling rugby, with England squaring up against Fiji on Saturday, November 8, at Allianz Stadium in London. 

The Pacific islanders have closed the gap between themselves and some first-tier rugby nations, which means the hosts could face a stern test here in the lead-up to the All Blacks next week. 

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Match preview

English rugby has not looked this good in a while, with their current run of eight wins on the bounce the best set of results since 2020. 

Steve Borthwick has done an incredible job as the head coach for the Red Roses, delivering victory for the hosts in their opening game of the series against Australia last week. 

The home side ravaged the Wallabies 25-7, in a match that demonstrated how far England have come, especially with their 15 unanswered points in the second half. 

The score could have been far worse for the visitors, but for a few missed conversions, which means England are certainly favourites to make it nine in a row this weekend. 

The average score in this fixture is 40 for England and 19 for Fiji, but recent meetings have demonstrated that the gap is closing. 

Fiji’s win at Twickenham in August 2023 allowed them to create a piece of history, beating the hosts 30-22, which was their first-ever against a tier one nation in England. 

The 2023 Rugby World Cup pitted these two against each other in the quarter-finals, which was a thrilling encounter that ended with a 30-24 England victory. 

However, the Flying Fijians were rejuvenated in the second period and actually won the latter half 14-9, an indication of their resilience and never-say-die attitude. 

Mick Byrne’s men are also in excellent form, winning their last five matches in a row, which also included the Pacific Nations Cup triumph. 

The islanders won three of their last five away to European opposition, with their previous two such victories arriving despite trailing at half time. 

With the hosts knocking on the door of a top-three spot in the world rankings, and the visitors’ brand of breathless rugby, it is bound to be an explosive 80 minutes at Twickenham. 

England form (all competitions): 

WWWWWW

Fiji form (all competitions): 

LWWWWW

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Team News

Borthwick alluded to the fact that he would have gone in with an unchanged 15 to keep the momentum going, which has proved to be his success recently. 
However, those plans may have to change with Freddie Steward yet to train in the week due to a finger injury he picked up towards the end of the Australian clash, which means Marcus Smith may get the nod at fullback. 

Winger Tom Roebuck limped out of Tuesday’s training session with a suspected ankle issue, so Henry Arundell could fill that vacancy. 

Alex Mitchell will be crucial at scrum-half, having either scored or assisted in each of his last four internationals for England, and his try against the Aussies last week is another example of his influence. 

In the midfield, Tommy Freeman will likely keep his place after he notched up a team-high 12 carries for 80 metres last weekend, when England were struggling to move forward. 

The visitors will be relying on veteran number eight Viliame Mata, who will be facing a few of his Bristol Bears teammates this weekend. 

Big Bill’s pace and physicality make him a true enforcer who provides constant energy through hard-hitting tackles and powerful ball carries. 

New Zealand-born Caleb Muntz will dictate play from the number 10, with an incredible knack for breaking through the lines himself; stopping him will be key for the hosts. 

Another worry for England is Joji Nasova, who had an excellent Pacific Nations Cup, beating 22 defenders with a 65% tackle evasion rate, the most and highest in the competition, respectively. 

England starting lineup:

15 Marcus Smith, 14 Henry Arundell, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George, 1 Fin Baxter

Replacements:

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ben Earl, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Fin Smith

Fiji starting lineup:

15 Salesi Rayasi, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 12 Sireli Maqala, 11 Selestino Ravutaumada, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Elia Canakaivata, 6 Pita-Gus Sowakula, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 1 Eroni Mawi

Replacements:

16 Zuriel Togiatama, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Isoa Nasilasila, 20 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 21 Sam Wye, 22 Iosefo Masi, 23 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula

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Head To Head

Naturally, England have the upper hand in the head-to-head history against Fiji, with eight victories from their nine competitive test matches. 

The Flying Fijians registered their first-ever triumph over the Red Roses in 2023 at this venue; the winner of this battle is not cut and dry.

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We say: England 30-18 Fiji

 

The hosts’ highest score against Fiji is 58, but that may be a far-fetched dream for this encounter; however, the home side are in a purple patch of form and will likely edge this one.