England overpower Fiji 38-18 after early scare at Twickenham

England 38-18 Fiji, Twickenham

England produced a commanding second-half performance to beat Fiji 38-18 at Twickenham, overturning an early deficit through precision in the maul, sharper kicking execution, and superior discipline when it mattered most.

The home side struck first in the fifth minute, setting the tone with a perfectly executed driving maul. Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie peeled off the back to ground the ball for the opening try after England kicked a penalty to the corner. Fin Smith added the conversion from a comfortable angle to give England a 7-0 lead.

Fiji, however, responded with typical flair and physicality. In the ninth minute, Tevita Ikanivere powered over from a rolling maul after Fiji’s first real attacking opportunity inside England’s 22. Fly-half Caleb Muntz couldn’t add the extras, leaving the score at 7-5.

Fiji grew into the game, and in the 21st minute, Muntz showed quick thinking when he regathered his own grubber kick through England’s defensive line to score under pressure. The conversion again sailed wide, but Fiji took a 10-7 lead.

Building on that momentum, Muntz slotted a penalty in the 28th minute to extend Fiji’s advantage to 13-7, punishing England’s breakdown infringements.

England’s attacking rhythm stuttered under the islanders’ pressure until a moment of indiscipline changed the flow. In the 35th minute, winger Selestino Ravutaumada was sin-binned for a reckless aerial challenge on Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

England capitalized immediately. Two minutes later, in the 37th minute, Feyi-Waboso atoned for the heavy contact by scoring England’s second try, collecting Fin Smith’s perfectly judged cross-field kick to touch down in the corner. Smith added the conversion to edge England 14-13 ahead at half-time.

After the restart, Ellis Genge extended England’s lead in the 48th minute, barging over from close range after multiple pick-and-go phases near the line. Fin Smith converted again, taking the score to 21-13.

Fiji refused to yield, and hooker Tevita Ikanivere struck again in the 51st minute, finishing his second try of the day from another line-out maul — a near-carbon copy of his earlier score. Muntz’s conversion, however, went astray once more, leaving England narrowly ahead at 21-18.

Momentum turned decisively when Josua Tuisova was shown a yellow card in the 58th minute for repeated offside infringements.

With Fiji reduced to 14 men, England’s forwards took control. One minute later, Jamie George rumbled over at the back of a dominant maul, although Fin Smith missed the difficult conversion, making it 26-18.

As Fiji tired, England’s backs began to express themselves. In the 68th minute, substitute Henry Arundell sprinted onto a delicate chip kick from Marcus Smith, winning the race to the ball and scoring in the right corner. Fin Smith’s conversion again went wide, keeping the lead at 31-18.

England’s victory was sealed in the 74th minute when Maro Itoje, ever alert around the fringes, crashed over from close range following a quick tap penalty. This time Smith converted, pushing the score to 38-18 — a reflection of England’s second-half dominance in both structure and physical execution.

Team line up:

England: M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Coles, Chessum, Pepper, Earl, Cunningham-South

Reserves: 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

Reserves: Togiatama, Hetet, Tawake, Vocevoce, Murray, Wye, Armstrong-Ravula, Maqala