England player ratings vs Fiji as Steve Borthwick’s side ended their five-match losing streak with a bonus-point victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
⭐ Save us to your Google Favourites for nonstop RUCK content!
Scroll down for England player ratings vs Fiji.
Steve Borthwick’s side never really needed to get out of second gear but still managed to secure a maiden Nations Championship win in Liverpool.
England made a flying start, scoring after five minutes when Marcus Smith capitalised on Fin Smith’s crossfield kick that fortunately bounced back in off the corner post.
Jamie George added a second from a driving maul, before Guy Pepper powered over to extend the lead after sustained pressure.
Debutant Benhard Janse van Rensburg marked his unexpected early introduction, following Henry Slade’s HIA, with a close-range try. Seb Atkinson then crossed before half-time, giving England a commanding 35-3 lead at the break.
Fiji nearly narrowed the deficit before half-time, but Kalaveti Ravouvou’s disallowed try led to a red card for Simione Kuruvoli for kicking Ellis Genge.
Tevita Ikanivere scored early in the second half, but Immanuel Feyi-Waboso quickly replied. Henry Pollock made an immediate impact off the bench, before Henry Slade crossed to take England past 50 after Noah Caluori’s pass.
Caluori then scored himself, with Slade adding a try and Pollock scoring his hat-trick right at the end to secure a 73-8 victory.
Nations Championship: Fiji 8-73 England
England player ratings vs Fiji
15 Marcus Smith — 7
Scored the opening try with a simple finish after being in the right place. Slipped in the build-up to Kalaveti Ravouvou’s disallowed try, leaving him with little chance of making the tackle.
Showed impressive pace from deep and looked surprisingly comfortable after switching to scrum-half.
14 Tommy Freeman — 6
Had a pretty quiet afternoon and was given very little service throughout. Nearly scored the first try, but the ball evaded him, and he wasn’t given much beyond that. A few kicks out to him helped England get up the pitch, and he was solid when called upon.
13 Henry Slade — 7
Controlled play well and showed good pace when needed. Produced a clever kick through that should have resulted in a Ben Earl try. Went off for an HIA on 31 minutes, returned after half-time after passing it, and capped his performance with a second-half try.
12 Seb Atkinson — 7
Even if it wasn’t his best game against the Springboks last week, the Gloucester centre redeemed himself by showing both the defensive and attacking qualities that earned him an England shirt.
A strong tackle on lock Tevita Ratuva set the tone early on, before a simple score from close range gave his side their fifth try of the afternoon.
11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso — 7
Quiet for long periods but made a big impact with limited opportunities. Carried strongly before half-time, was reliable under the high ball, and finished clinically in the corner after the break to make the most of his chances.
10 Fin Smith — 9
Played with confidence and attacking intent, using smart kicking to create chances, most notably with dangerous cross-field kicks to Tommy Freeman and a fortunate kick that rebounded off the post into Marcus Smith’s hands for the opener.
Defended well with a strong tackle on Kalaveti Ravouvou, showed good intensity throughout, and while his goal-kicking wasn’t flawless, it was solid overall. Rightfully awarded Player of the Match.
9 Jack van Poortvliet — 7
Didn’t do anything particularly badly, but perhaps could have been criticised for kicking a little too much. Grabbed a fine assist for Seb Atkinson, offloading while being tackled. Was decent, but somewhat quiet during his 50-minute cameo.
1 Ellis Genge — 8
England’s scrum was absolutely dominant, and Genge was a key part of setting the platform early on, driving the first few scrums backwards and winning a couple of penalties in the process.
Although he didn’t do much around the park, he can be credited with winning the red card after Simione Kuruvoli kicked him in the chest.
2 Jamie George — 7
Made a strong tackle to stop a Fiji attacker in the corner before getting the crowd going afterwards. Grabbed a try from the back of the maul, worked well at the breakdown, and threw accurately when given the chance at the lineout.
3 Joe Heyes — 8
Another who deserves huge credit for bringing power at the scrum, Heyes was completely dominant and always looked in control. The Leicester Tigers prop can be forgiven for not being involved much around the park, such was his dominance at the set-piece.
