England’s luck took a real nosedive with their fifth loss in six games, getting taken down by Fiji in an unexpected twist during their last World Cup warm-up clash at Twickenham.
When the skies were playing tricks, the Fiji squad turned on the heat in the second half, slamming in three tries. England’s defense was basically a leaky faucet against Fiji’s sheer power – not the best look, lads.
Right when things seemed a bit bleak, Joe Marchant swooped in with a try, and George Ford nailed the conversion, putting England just one point behind.
But hold your horses, ’cause Selestino Ravutaumada worked his magic, lining up Simione Kuruvoli for the final blow that sealed the deal.
The day kicked off with some serious high hopes as Courtney Lawes, the main man with a century of caps, led the charge for England.
However, when the ref finally blew that full-time whistle, the atmosphere was as grim as a rainy day. England had notched up their first loss to a team not part of the Six Nations or the Rugby Championship. And guess what? This all went down just a fortnight before they’re set to kick off their World Cup showdown against Argentina.
Take a look below to see which six England players really had a day to forget.
#1. Freddie Steward
Telegraph 3/10: “Ubiquitous in the warm-ups, the only player to start all four, but saved his worst until last. Could not catch a cold – admittedly in the midst of a downpour.”
Rugby Pass 4/10: “Turnovers in his game have become a concern and there were more here. Showed little in attack and also couldn’t shut the door as last man for the opening two Fijians tries, the second concession on 53 minutes the prompt for him to be subbed for Marcus Smith.”
Planet Rugby 2/10: “Great under the high ball but one-on-one defence isn’t good enough. Lacks pace and it’s exposed when England’s first-up rearguard is missing tackles.”