​Nation’s Championship – Round Two: Fiji 8 (3) England 73
In a one-sided contest at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, England overwhelmed Fiji to secure their most commanding win over the Pacific Island nation. England, who had entered the match with a five-Test losing streak against Fiji, benefited from an ill-disciplined Fiji side that played with 14 men for a large portion after scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli received a straight red for a kick at Ellis Genge. Henry Pollock starred for England, delivering a second-half hat-trick to seal the comprehensive victory.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso opened the scoring with an acrobatic finish down the left wing, and Pollock’s three tries after the break helped England surge clear. The 50,209-strong crowd roared as England extended their dominance and claimed a record home victory over Fiji. England’s match-day squad also featured notable debutants off the bench: Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensburg, a South African-born centre, and Saracens’ teenage wing Noah Caluori, who both crossed the whitewash for their first Test tries.
England displayed breadth and depth throughout, though the performance must be weighed against Fiji’s chaotic execution and lack of cohesion. Fiji had previously toppled England at Twickenham in August 2023 and were close to repeating the trick when the teams met in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals shortly after. In the autumn meetings, Fiji had kept the score tight for an hour before England pulled away, but this time the visitors never found a consistent rhythm to threaten a potential England slump, despite their recent history of vulnerability in the longer format.
Final team lines reflected the substitutions and rotations that accompanied the match. Fiji’s backline, including Rayasi at full-back and a back three featuring Karaivalevu and Ravouvou, attempted to mount an attack but could not sustain pressure. For England, M Smith started at scrum-half, flanked by Freeman, Slade, Atkinson, and Feyi-Waboso in the backline, with a forwards pack guided by F Smith at fly-half and Van Poortvliet at scrum-half. England’s replacements included Cooke-Dickie and Opoku-Fordjour, with Pollock and Janse van Rensburg among the impactful late entries.
As the competition moves forward, both sides will reflect on the performance: England will relish a dominant win that finally snaps their losing run against Fiji, while Fiji will need to regroup quickly to restore discipline, cohesion, and effectiveness in attack if they are to challenge stronger sides in their next fixtures. More to follow as the Championship progresses.