England v Fiji, 18 September

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ENGLAND v FIJI
18 September 2015
KO: 20:00 BST
Twickenham, London

Live on ITV and BBC Radio 5 live

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Touch judges: John Lacey (Ireland) & Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

A. Head to Head

5 Played 5
5 Won 0
0 Drawn 0
0 Lost 5
210 Points 83

B. Recent Form

10 November 2012
England 54 - 12 Fiji
Twickenham

20 October 1999
England 45 - 24 Fiji
Twickenham

20 July 1991
Fiji 12 - 28 England
National Stadium, Suva

04 November 1989
England 58 - 23 Fiji
Twickenham

17 June 1988
Fiji 12 - 25 England
National Stadium, Suva

C. Teams

ENGLAND

Mike Brown (Harlequins); Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby); George Ford (Bath Rugby); Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers); Joe Marler (Harlequins), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Chris Robshaw (capt, Harlequins), Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby).

Replacements: Rob Webber (Bath Rugby), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Sam Burgess (Bath Rugby).

FIJI

1. Campese Ma’afu
2. Sunia Koto
3. Manasa Saulo
4. Apisalome Ratuniyarawa
5. Leone Nakarawa
6. Dominiko Waqaniburotu
7. Akapusi Qera (Captain)
8. Sakiusa Masi Matadigo

9. Nikola Matawalu
10. Ben Volavola
11. Nemani Nadolo
12. Gabiriele Lovobalavu
13. Vereniki Goneva
14. Waisea Nayacalevu
15. Metuisela Talebula

16. Tuapati Talemaitoga
17. Peni Ravai
18. Isei Colati
19. Tevita Cavubati
20. Peceli Yato
21. Nemia Kenatale
22. Joshua Matavesi
23. Aseli Tikoirotuma

I think Englands backs have looked good for a while now, Joseph, Brown and Watson are all class acts.

I think most people would have settled for a BP win at the start of the day, but that was frustratingly scrappy at times. Really need a bit of nous at the breakdown.

Thought Brown, Wood and T Youngs had a good game, as did most of the subs. Wigglesworth injected some pace, which has more to say about how slow B Youngs was.

Now for rant mode.... The TMO. I'm absolutely for the TMO, but they need to be more much more assertive. If you're going to interrupt the ref during the game, have your mind made up and a decision at the ready, don't say "Halt everything while I take 3 minutes looking at this non-event". Most of the reviews could have been decided after a couple of 5s replays. The TMO could review on their own while play continues and call it back if really necessary. I also think they should take ownership when it comes to the try time if the ref doesn't see it. Don't just show the referee the angles and leave it to him when he's miles away from a screen. The TMO has all the best views at his fingertips and a screen in his face. It should be like rugby league where the TMO talks through it and then makes the decision for the ref, and does so in a much shorter period of time.

glamorganalun wrote:The ref was shocking he spent 10 mins with the video ref and the one decision he did make was turned over by the TV replay. May did jump to avoid a tackle and the third try had two forward passed before the final good offload for the score. Home advantage is massive for England it's like having one extra man or two.

Fiji are a handful and they will get better and not make so many handling errors also missing so many kicks at goal so Wales must be up for a battle.

England got the the points for the win so well done roll on the next game.

Refs are damned if they do damned if they don't: if they get a call wrong they're criticised; if they take too long ensuring they get the call right, they're criticised.

Agree totally on the TMO and felt he ruined the game, I expected England to be nervous but build into the game but they seemed to lose their way a bit.

However they got the result and 5 points that's all that matters at this point.

Well done England. Perhaps not as smooth as expected, but a 5 point win? I'd take that any day.

Strange game.  Fiji all over the place really (some very good stuff but lots of off-the-cuff madness too) and should have been well out of the game by half time.... but then again, they left real points behind them that had they gotten them, they might have been a little more organised in that end game.

England, when they take off the handbrake, will give any side a torrid time.  You're going to have to be fully awake at all times or they'll stretch and drag the life out of you.  But they'll be concerned about that first half, even as oh so erratic and chancy Fiji tried on some very nervy intercept-prone passing.

I can understand to an extent why England had their hands full - with rain and slippy ball, and trying to be careful at the beginning rather than going for broke, and of course Fiji being a genuine dangerous handful (despite the mad stuff.... or because of it!) - but they probably didn't want Australia or Wales looking at Fiji come at them so much and get the opportunities.  
But entertaining game for a first game.  Brown, as always, England's Emotional driver.  Every team wants one, not every team is lucky enough to have one - but this guy snorts defiance and resolve.

Brown fantastic. England pretty good. Bench effective. Forwards came through a very tough examination in the scrum and breakdown. Had to work hard. Overall a good win. Wales would struggle badly if they had met Fiji today.

Phew!

To be honest we were woeful, and Fiji let us off the hook with their missed kicks otherwise we could have folded under the pressure.

On the plus side a bonus point win against a well organised team in the 1st game is a good result, IMO Fiji will cause Wales problems if they aren't at the top of their game or get pulled into an arm wrestle.

Having watched that game with an Aussie I can assure you they are not worried, their scrum will destroy ours unless rowntree gets them firing.

On the disallowed try why didn't the ref check the grounding anyway he was about 20 m behind as was the touch judge.

As a rugby fan I think the try should have stood seeing as it was awarded but as an England fan I was rather happy it wasn't.

The ref shouldn't have given it - but by the laws the TMO is allowed to intevene so long as the conversion has not been taken

I don't blame the ref for what was often a bizarre theatre between himself and the TMO...or really the TMO either.  It's plain they were f**king nervous as hell with all the directions and orders given to them in advance from on high about how this WC should be officiated.  It looked at times like the ref was afraid to open his mouth and wanted to run from decisions himself.

Plus get all that f**king jet pack kit off their backs, for Christ's sake.  No need for half of it.  RoboRef.  It has to impede his running and manoeuvrability.

We're all to blame though.  All the ref chat amongst fans over the years - the organisers are determined to do it right - but it's getting on for a joke already with ref and TMO stuttering and hesitant all the way through.  Let the ref ref and let the moaning watching public live with it.

Ratings all look pretty sensible, and then there's the Standard…

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/england-vs-fiji-player-ratings-a2951196.html

Barritt 6/10!!!! gave 3 penalties, should have been binned. Did nothing in attack. 3 at best.

George Ford 7/10!!!! Again, wasn't calming at all. You beat teams like Fiji by playing terrirtory and squeezing them out of games.. when did he do this. His backline management was very very poor. England passing it across the line showed no one wanting to take it in, you take it, no you take it. Thats the pivots fault... he didn't run his backline well at all. Farrell came on and the direction was immediate.

The set piece was dire. Scrums have fallen apart. Rowntree can get his troops together as much as he wants... some guys like Cole look shades of the player they were 18 months ago.

Parling played well, carried very well. Wood too. 3/4s also did a decent job. Subs made a huge diff.

I think Rowntree has to think about jigging his front row up. Its simply not going to work vs. better teams. Brookes looked v. steady but difficult to tell as he came on late. Youngs... I mean SL doesn't trust anyone else.

Marler/Cole having the same rating at Brown and better than Wood is, well, madness

Joseph 5? Fair play he made some bad handling errors and poor positioning at times, but he was even involved in us keeping the ball from breakdowns.

Also, not Tom Young's biggest fan but I thought he was fantastic around the park.

Marler higher rating?

How did Wood get 6/10 Probably best England forward and best England player outside Brown???

Great result, but the handling and set pieces are such a huge worry. And we are just not strong enough protecting ball at the breakdown, let alone contesting it.

Scottrf wrote:Joseph 5? Fair play he made some bad handling errors and poor positioning at times, but he was even involved in us keeping the ball from breakdowns.

Also, not Tom Young's biggest fan but I thought he was fantastic around the park.

Marler higher rating?

Workrate for Youngs is great... if he's satisfactory in scrums and lineouts. If not he's a liability.

When England's pack is being pushed back by... yes Fiji then they really have to look at themselves in the mirror. 3 lost scrums is huge. Is it all Youngs... no but when Hartley plays it seems to steady.... its always the case.

Thought Launchbury looked very good when he came on. And it was a tired Fiji but Billy looked great also, making a lot of ground when Morgan (who did otherwise play intelligently and well) seemed to be making no headway at all.

Fiji were good value, and sorry to certain posters above but being English isnt yet a penalty offence

fa0019 wrote:Workrate for Youngs is great... if he's satisfactory in scrums and lineouts. If not he's a liability.

When England's pack is being pushed back by... yes Fiji then they really have to look at themselves in the mirror. 3 lost scrums is huge. Is it all Youngs... no but when Hartley plays it seems to steady.... its always the case.

Agreed. Youngs is a great player...but not a great hooker.

Scottrf wrote:Great result, but the handling and set pieces are such a huge worry. And we are just not strong enough protecting ball at the breakdown, let alone contesting it.

The ruck when brown went close in right corner 2nd half was bemusing... 3 ENG players immediately in and you'd think ball secured 1 metre out... but they rushed in and lost the ball somehow. Ruck work was very poor.

That will just about do for a start. Ford struggled without a play-maker alongside him, and Barritt was so poor he may have played himself out of the side. England's line-out was reasonable, and whilst there were some decent scrums there were also some horrible ones and Marler seems to be struggling to push straight on occasion.

I think the big questions for next week are who plays 9, 10 and 12.

You really think Ben Youngs is in danger? I'm a fan of Care but Youngs is a firm favourite it seems. I don't think Wigglesworth is nearly as good as Care.

When did dan cole last play well for England?

In terms of Wales i'd say it would be better to do the following

Farrell at 10, Burgess at 12, Launchbury at 4 with Parling. Billy V looked good, i am generally a big critic of his but Morgan looked a bit pale and he took his chance, thats all you can do really.. Should Wilson come back in for Cole, Brookes??

It's upsetting that I can't criticise too much for leaving Lawes out. Not long back he was a world beater, just putting in average performances.

Scottrf wrote:You really think Ben Youngs is in danger? I'm a fan of Care but Youngs is a firm favourite it seems. I don't think Wigglesworth is nearly as good as Care.

I would say Youngs pass was poor and it put pressure on Ford. Didn't help that Fiji's linespeed was epic and they were monsters to boot. Can you trust Care, everytime I see him in an England jersey he seems to have a brain meltdown. Wigglesworth didn't do anything spectacular but you need to expect minimum standards from your 9... decent pass is it.

Don't make too many changes. We've all seen how much form swings from one match to another in international rugby. In that context, too many changes and discontinuity is counterproductive

Scottrf wrote:You really think Ben Youngs is in danger? I'm a fan of Care but Youngs is a firm favourite it seems. I don't think Wigglesworth is nearly as good as Care.

I think Wigglesworth will be pushing hard for a starting shirt.

Scottrf wrote:It's upsetting that I can't criticise too much for leaving Lawes out. Not long back he was a world beater, just putting in average performances.

He looks a bit weak in the scrum. He needs a beast next to him. England were playing 2 5s. Engine was a bit lacking in power. Parling has a calmness about him and looked very impressive in the loose too. Parling put his hand up today. Had he not been for Hartley's ban he wouldn't even be in the team but in the big moments some players rise to it, some don't.

I'd love to see Slade start at 12 next week. We have so much talent out wide, and we put so much pressure on whoever is at 10 if it is Barritt or Burgess at 12. Joseph has excellent hands and really offers everything you'd want from a 13, but he isn't a play-maker.

Did I hear this was Englands biggest win in a wc opening game?

DaveM wrote:I think Wigglesworth will be pushing hard for a starting shirt.

I just don't feel he's exciting compared to Care or even Young. Where they can spot a quick opportunity, spring a surprise I don't see the sharpness in mind. Maybe that can be provided elsewhere.

ChequeredJersey wrote:Don't make too many changes. We've all seen how much form swings from one match to another in international rugby. In that context, too many changes and discontinuity is counterproductive

Barritt though looked out of his depth. Nothing in attack, poor in defence, should have been binned and had Peyper had a better memory he would have been... think he was doing his brethren a favour.
Burgess sometimes looks a bit like a fox in the headlights but his defence is massive and he offloaded 3 times i think for continued ball carrying in his 20 mins. Those are the things that make tries.

When was the last time you saw a NH player do that? In SA you get pressups when you go to ground without trying to offload (I think Farrell did so too for 3rd try but again its a league background thing).

No 7&1/2 wrote:Did I hear this was Englands biggest win in a wc opening game?

Didn't you beat Georgia by 80 in 2003?

fa0019 wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:Did I hear this was Englands biggest win in a wc opening game?

Didn't you beat Georgia by 80 in 2003?

That didn't open the WC though, Australia were hosts

Yeah we did, must have misheard the stat. Im so down after only getting 5 points after being bested in the scrum lineout breakdown territory and open play im just trying to grasp any positive.

5 points was mandatory for this game 7.5. You don't win world cups by playing teams like Fiji and get played like that. The bench came on and saved the day to be truthful.

AUS are 3 notches up. Set piece they will be a match for England... and they play Pocock and Hooper together. Backline is superior too.
England beat AUS usually by having a better kicker and dominant forwards. They may be able to dominate upfront if they tweak the team a little... but Ford is not a better kicker to Foley/Cooper.

I don't think you'll find many SH teams worried.

We ll see.

We will see. Form now =/= form later. SA were pretty consistent in 2007 World Cup (though we made final despite being awful in the group) but most other countries doing well aren't consistently great throughout the tournament. France were poor for much of the last World Cup. England nearly knocked out by Wales playing poor rugby in 2003. In the 6N, performance quality often varies from week to week, the same in the RC where Australia dominated NZ one week then were blown away. Making assumptions about the next match based on this one doesn't fit the pattern of international rugby where so much time can be spent tweaking and fitness patterns are important and intensity and mindset are frankly huge aspects in who wins and small margins lie between a great performance and a poor one, and the momentum within a game is so fluctuant

Well that game has changed my thoughts on the outcome of Pool A.

I still think Aus will beat us (Wales), but I no longer think Eng will beat Aus., leaving Aus to win the group undefeated.

So, I see second place between Wales an Eng. and from that performance, I can't see Eng besting us. So as long as we don't slip up against Fiji, and I don't think we will, I can see Wales going through in second spot.

Never mind guys, look on the bright side, you won't be facing a long journey home...

No9 wrote:Well that game has changed my thoughts on the outcome of Pool A.

I still think Aus will beat us (Wales), but I no longer think Eng will beat Aus., leaving Aus to win the group undefeated.

So, I see second place between Wales an Eng. and from that performance, I can't see Eng besting us. So as long as we don't slip up against Fiji, and I don't think we will, I can see Wales going through in second spot.

Never mind guys, look on the bright side, you won't be facing a long journey home...

We will see. Form now =/= form later. SA were pretty consistent in 2007 World Cup (though we made final despite being awful in the group) but most other countries doing well aren't consistently great throughout the tournament. France were poor for much of the last World Cup. England nearly knocked out by Wales playing poor rugby in 2003. In the 6N, performance quality often varies from week to week, the same in the RC where Australia dominated NZ one week then were blown away. Making assumptions about the next match based on this one doesn't fit the pattern of international rugby where so much time can be spent tweaking and fitness patterns are important and intensity and mindset are frankly huge aspects in who wins and small margins lie between a great performance and a poor one, and the momentum within a game is so fluctuant

Wasn't it about a day ago that Fiji were world class opposition and we would be lucky to get any kind of win at all?

Well done England. Enjoyed the game in bits. Thought there were some good play at times from both sides and some well taken tries. Deserved win.

I actually think this is a good result for England. Fiji are potentially a good side. They seldom get to field a prepared relatively full strength side and raised themselves for this game. We tend to compare them with the underprepared, sometimes understrength sides we see playing away from home between world cups. I always hope they can compete on a bit more of an even, although still uneven playing field at the world cup.

I've felt since the start of this tournament that they have a good chance of finishing 3rd in the pool. They have 5 days until they face Australia, who I think will run them off the field. It's Australia's first game and they will be full strength. I wouldn't be surprised if Fiji play at full strength but run into injury problems (they'll still be playing to qualify). However their real chance is against Wales. They have a good break and Wales has a short turn around, which will affect Wale's preparation. Fiji will have to overcome the Cardiff factor and Lacy.

Nervy and scrappy win at times for England. Impressed with the cameos off the bench which gave us some much needed impetus. The constant TMO/ref interaction over plays was annoying but it looks like its an IRB directive for this tourney. Expect much of the same for the rest of the games..

Enjoyed the game/ First game of the tournament, call it first game nerves if you like. But lets give full credit to Fiji, they made England work hard for the win.

What does any one think about the try for Fiji by the number 9 in the corner that what disallowed after it had been given by the Reff. Personaly i think it should of stood. If their is any doubt go to the TMO first. other wise it stands.

RDW_Scotland wrote:I thought Tom wood had a good game - he made the hard yards when not many other players were standing up to be counted.

Tom Wood should have had ten minutes in the bin. The TMO pointed out that he'd thrown a Fijian to the floor by the neck, and reiterated to Jaco Peyper that it was around the neck, which they're supposed to be cracking down on, but Peyper couldn't bring himself to show a yellow. No question a Fijian would have seen yellow for that.

England should be happy that they got a bonus-point win, but they'll be concerned with how their scrum went (even without Marler getting penalised for boring in) and how often they were turned over.

As for Fiji, I'm not looking forward to our game against them!

On the plus side we picked up the 5 points; Tom Wood looks to be back to his best and the back 3 look very settled.

But a huge number of negatives, my main concern though is the scrum. We have gone from having a top class unit to quite frankly a laughing stock within 6 months. Credit to Fiji as they've clearly worked on their scrummaging however their front row comprises a player from Nottingham, one from Narbonne and the tight head who caused Marler so much trouble is a semi professional player for a Romanian side. To not have one top flight player in a position that has such demand speaks volumes. Marler and Cole are both playing poorly since their respective returns from injury however they still remain the best we have. They should not leave the scrum machine this week and despite their performances yesterday Youngs and Parling should make way for George/Webber and Launchbury to add some ballast. The Welsh and shockingly the Australians will have watched that performance with glee knowing they can target our scrum and we must improve enormously if we hope to hold any platform against either side.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Tom Wood should have had ten minutes in the bin. The TMO pointed out that he'd thrown a Fijian to the floor by the neck, and reiterated to Jaco Peyper that it was around the neck, which they're supposed to be cracking down on, but Peyper couldn't bring himself to show a yellow. No question a Fijian would have seen yellow for that.

And yet the Fijian wasn't carded for a spear tackle. Seems pretty consistent to me. The reffing wasn't perfect, but it was fair.

England will need to get a whole lot better than that though. The scrum is really not performing and in light of all the handling errors you wonder if the players are skillful enough to execute such a fast paced game.

The penalty count against England is a big concern.

Is it because England was too sloppy to get out of the way?

Or was it because the Referree was to fast on the whistle?

Which ever one it is they (England) have to improve. they cannot keep giving away penalties in this tournament......their are a lot better goal kickers than what Fiji have.

We always seem to struggle with this ref