Fiji vs. England - prediction, team news, lineups

Fiji conscionable England astatine the Hill Dickinson connected Saturday day for the 2nd circular of fixtures successful this year's Nations Championship.

Senirusi Seruvakula's men fell to a 39-24 nonaccomplishment against Wales successful their opening fixture, portion Steve Borthwick's broadside were beaten 45-21 by South Africa astatine the Ellis Park Stadium.

Match preview

Going into the inaugural Nations Championship, Fiji were connected a bully tally of form, winning six of their erstwhile 8 matches including triumphs implicit the likes of Scotland, Tonga and Samoa.

Despite this, successful their archetypal fixture of the tourney Seruvakula’s broadside got disconnected to a dilatory and unwanted start, losing 39-24 to Steve Tandy’s Wales outfit astatine the Cardiff City Stadium.

Playing each of their matches successful absorption territory owed to the HFC Bank Stadium successful Suva not gathering the required contention capacity, the Flying Fijians were level successful Cardiff pursuing the archetypal period, but conceded 4 second-half tries to instrumentality thing distant from their opening game.

Heading into their lucifer against England successful Liverpool, Fiji beryllium bottommost of the Southern Hemisphere array and with Scotland, France and Ireland up next, volition beryllium looking to deed signifier sooner alternatively than aboriginal if they are to debar the woody spoon.

However, having claimed their archetypal ever triumph against Saturday’s absorption with a 30-22 triumph astatine Twickenham Stadium successful 2023, the expected hosts volition beryllium assured that they tin repetition that instrumentality this play and summation immoderate assurance up of a hard travel to Murrayfield.

Following an 11-game winning tally successful 2025, England tasted decision successful each of their last 4 Six Nations fixtures earlier this year, a feat they had ne'er earlier suffered successful the competition, to caput into the Nations Championship successful their worst tally of signifier since losing 5 consecutive trial matches successful 2018.

To marque matters worse, Borthwick’s men encountered arguably the toughest trial successful planetary rugby past Saturday, facing back-to-back satellite champions South Africa astatine Ellis Park Stadium connected the inaugural weekend.

Despite a pugnacious start, conceding 3 tries aft lone 11 minutes successful Johannesburg, England fought backmost earlier the break, scoring a brace of their ain to trim the spread to 3 points astatine half-time.

However, though the spread kept wrong 10 for overmuch of the 2nd period, the Springboks pulled distant arsenic the crippled drew to a close, dotting down doubly precocious connected to assertion a 45-21 triumph and permission the visitors stone bottommost of the Northern Hemisphere table.

Facing an inconsistent Fijian outfit astatine the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Borthwick volition beryllium assured that his broadside tin get their tourney up and moving though, with the hosts having won six of the 7 meetings betwixt these teams, including a 38-18 triumph astatine Twickenham Stadium successful November.

Fiji contention form:

Fiji signifier (all competitions): 

England contention form:

England signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Fiji person made a fistful of changes to the backline that faced Wales successful Cardiff, with Selestino Ravutaumada, Semi Radrada, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and Frank Lomani making mode for Vuate Karawalevu, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Caleb Muntz and Simione Kuruvoli respectively.

On the beforehand row, Seruvakula brings successful Mesake Doge for Tim Hoyt, portion Tevita Ratuva, Peceli Yato, Lekima Tagitagivalu and Lebanon Botia regenerate Temo Mayanavanua, Pita-Gus Sowakula, Kitione Salawa and Elia Canakaivata.

As for the visitors, the biggest portion of squad quality is the instrumentality of Henry Slade astatine extracurricular centre, with the Exeter Chiefs antheral getting his archetypal commencement since being overlooked by Borthwick successful the Six Nations earlier this year.

The 33-year-old is introduced alongside Marcus Smith into the England backline, with Cadan Murley and George Furbank, who has been withdrawn from the squad wholly with appendicitis, dropping out.

In the scrum, Borthwick has made conscionable 1 change, with Sale Sharks' Tom Curry dropped to the seat successful favour of Bath's Guy Pepper astatine openside flanker.

Starting connected the bench, some Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Noah Caluori person the accidental to marque their afloat England debuts connected Saturday too.

Fiji starting lineup:

15 Salesi Rayasi, 14 Vuate Karawalevu, 13 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Simione Kuruvoli; 1 Eroni Mawi, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 3 Mesake Doge, 4 Tevita Ratuva, 5 Isoa Nasilasila, 6 Peceli Yato, 7 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 8 Lebanon Botia

Replacements:

16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Livai Natave, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Temo Mayansvanua, 20 Elia Canakaivata, 21 Pita-Gus Sowakula, 22 Frank Lomani, 23 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula

England starting lineup:

15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Alex Coles, 5 George Martin, 6 Ollie Chessum, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Ben Earl

Replacements:

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 18 George Kloska, 19 Tom Curry, 20 Henry Pollock, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 23 Noah Caluori

We say: Fiji 18-34 England

With Fiji and England some suffering decision successful their opening fixtures, triumph successful Saturday afternoon's clash is surely imperative for either broadside if they are to beryllium finishing astatine the apical of their respective tables successful November.

While they person been highly disappointing recently, losing each of their erstwhile 5 matches, we spot England yet bouncing backmost this play and reinstating that triumphant feeling up of what is surely a winnable crippled against Argentina adjacent Saturday.