England 38-18 Fiji: Five Talking Points as England win 9th game in a row

Here are five key talking points from the match.

England’s performance began in sluggish fashion, a stark contrast to their fast start against Australia the previous week. Despite dominating territory and making several incursions into the Fiji 22, their attack repeatedly faltered through handling errors and turnovers.

Caleb Muntz punished England’s inefficiency with a penalty to stretch Fiji’s lead to 13–7, and it took a well-finished try from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso just before the break to edge England ahead 14–13 at half-time.

It was another reminder that consistency remains an area of concern for Borthwick’s side, particularly when they face higher-calibre opposition.

England’s bench proved decisive, contributing all three of the team’s final tries. When Fiji were reduced to 14 men after Josua Tuisova’s yellow card for persistent infringement, England seized control.

Jamie George powered over from a maul, before the returning Henry Arundell showcased his trademark pace and instinct — racing onto a loose ball, kicking ahead, and diving over in the corner. Maro Itoje added the finishing touch, crashing over from close range to secure the win.

Fin Smith’s accurate goal-kicking kept the scoreboard moving, reflecting England’s dominance in the closing stages.

Reflecting on the team’s growing maturity, replacement flanker Tom Curry said:

“The same way in terms of, you probably learn to lose, I think we're starting to learn to win a bit. It's tiny margins, Test match rugby is tiny margins and I suppose you have to go through those tough times to learn what it's really like to learn to win. Happy but we won't get too far ahead of ourselves, it's a bit of an exciting challenge next week.”

For all Fiji’s flair and ambition, they ultimately succumbed to England’s power and precision at the set piece.

Fiji looked to have reignited the contest when Sireli Maqala and Simione Kuruvoli combined for what appeared to be a certain try. However, a TMO review ruled that the ball had been lost in contact — a decision that halted the visitors’ momentum and shifted control back to England.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Fiji head coach Mick Byrne questioned the ruling:

“I think we did good work in the lead-up and it didn't look like he lost control. It would have been a nice try to score. I am not sure if we would have won the game, but it would have kept the momentum going our way. But that is just the way it has gone.”

From that moment, England’s composure and superior depth ensured there was no late drama.

The result marked England’s ninth consecutive victory under Borthwick, their last defeat coming against Ireland in the Six Nations. It was also Ellis Genge’s first win as England captain, following previous losses in the role to Wales and France.

Reflecting on the team’s resilience, Genge said:

“To be honest, there's always belief, irrespective of if we win or not. We went through a bit of a tough period, casting my mind back a few years, for everyone from the outside the walls are closing in but within the squad, internally, we plan for this, we plan to win games. It doesn't always go that way, it can be the toss of a coin sometimes but we're obviously over the moon to have won nine in a row but it gets very tough next week against New Zealand who are one of the best sides in the world, so we look forward to that.”

It was a sign of how far England have come since their rocky post-World Cup transition and even from their narrow defeats suffered last autumn.

The victory keeps England’s momentum rolling, but sterner challenges await. Upcoming clashes with New Zealand and Argentina will test their progress and consistency at the highest level.

Looking ahead to next week’s encounter with the All Blacks, Genge added:

“Can't wait, we love playing against the best in the world. Obviously it will be a battle of attrition, as years have gone by they've been known for chucking the ball about a lot but they've got some big, physical lumps in there as well. We'll relish that.”

If this performance highlighted England’s developing ability to grind out wins even when not at their best, it also underscored the need for sharper execution when the next tier of opposition comes calling.