🔗 Share this article England Earns 9th Consecutive Victory Over Tough 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 England scored four second-half tries to beat a tough Fijian team in their latest autumn international. The victory continues Steve Borthwick's side's winning run to nine games and backs up their win over the Wallabies the previous weekend. The home side opened the scoring through hooker Cowan-Dickie before Fiji responded with tries by Tevita Ikanivere and Muntz. Fly-half Muntz missed both conversions but kicked a penalty to take the visitors further ahead before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso crossed. Prop Genge and Ikanivere then traded scores to ignite an thrilling final forty minutes. Substitutes George and Henry Arundell, who displayed his blistering speed, touched down to take the English side clear. These tries came either side of Fijian halfback Simi Kuruvoli fumbling the ball when going for the tryline. England captain Itoje, who also entered as a substitute, scored the final try. Borthwick's side now play New Zealand this coming weekend in their biggest challenge theoretically this autumn. Fiji Start Fast to Challenge England Before this meeting, England had claimed victory in 8 of their nine matches with the Fijian side – most lately taking a close contest in the last eight of the last global tournament. Their sole loss came just weeks before the competition in France and was a significant shift under Borthwick. With the Pacific Islanders on a five-match winning run – their equal best run since the late nineties – the game was always expected to be competitive. Following smooth attacking phases, back rower Cunningham-South gained valuable meters before Cowan-Dickie barged over for the opening score from short distance, with the Fijian's score off the back of a driving maul providing a swift reply. Known as the Flying Fijians, that was clear in defense through huge opening period midfield hits, with full-back Marcus Smith, deployed as a additional playmaker, in particular targeted. But it was the vintage Fijian attacking flair that was the standout moment in the first forty as offloads cut England's defence open for the fly-half to touch down. The winger expertly collected a kick across the field by Smith to take England ahead after he had been illegally challenged in the air by Selestino Ravutaumada, who was given a sin-binning following a bunker review. England's Star Bench Shines Once More The English team broke clear from the Wallabies last Saturday in the final quarter through the power of their bench that contained six Lions tourists. A significantly altered starting XV from the win over the Wallabies did grab the next try as Genge crossed following a strong carry by Ollie Lawrence, who was making his international comeback after tearing his Achilles against the Italians in March. However, after a clever line-out move was completed by Ikanivere, Borthwick introduced several of his substitutes on the 54th minute – featuring Lions players Pollock and Tom Curry. With the game still up for grabs, Fiji scrum-half Kuruvoli fumbled of the ball when reaching for the goal line to cancel out replacement the hooker's score. Breakdown specialist Earl, who scored against Australia, produced a spectacular try-saving tackle to maintain a narrow lead between the teams. It capped another outstanding overall display by the flanker, who picked up back-to-back player-of-the-match awards. The substitute's speed to chase down a grubber kick showcased exactly why England's bench is so influential. It is full of top players and quality, which has aided in wins in the closing stages that were lost versus the Wallabies and New Zealand last autumn. Given Scotland pushed the All Blacks hard, the English team will feel confident of making a big statement this weekend. If successful, 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 Match Officials Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) Assistant referee: Luc Ramos (France) and Katsuki Furuse (Japan) Television match official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)