Five takeaways from England vs Fiji

England beat Fiji 38-18 last weekend at the Allianz Stadium Twickenham, which is a somewhat flattering scoreline as Fiji put England to the sword for the first hour.

After beating Australia and extending their winning streak to eight, this game was always going to be an opportunity for Steve Borthwick to experiment ahead of the All Blacks visit on Saturday, 15th November.

So, what did we learn?

Fiji are a serious team

Fiji are not just here to entertain anymore. They still bring flair, skill and showcase athletic specimens, but under the tutelage of Mick Byrne and Aaron Mauger, they are a well-drilled unit.

For the first hour, they were composed, solid in defence and ruthless when given the opportunity.

Their set piece was particularly impressive and if they continue to build around their stars, they will give any side problems.

The likes of Joshua Tuisova and Kalaveti Ravouvou will steal the highlight reels, but Caleb Muntz gives his stars the platform.

With a conductor at fly half and solid set piece, they can elevate their game to the next level.

Borthwick can adapt

Borthwick did not just rotate his squad at the weekend; he rotated his tactics and, more importantly, stuck to them.

The kicking game has been extremely effective and it would be so easy for an England coach to stick to a successful style of play.

However, he brought in Fin Smith, Ollie Lawrence and Marcus Smith at full back and clearly set out to run with the ball and play quickly.

This was always going to be risky against Fiji, who thrive in that style of play, and England struggled to get a foothold in the first half.

That said, Borthwick weathered the storm and eventually overpowered Fiji.

Although it was hard fought, being able to adapt and play to the strengths of different players in the squad will be crucial in the build-up to the World Cup.

The kicking game is key

When you see George Ford’s name on the team sheet, you know what you are going to get.

He brings leadership, elite passing and a lot of kicking. Although it is not the style of play fans want to see, it is hard to argue how effective it is and considering the rule change where players cannot block kick chasers anymore, having this strategy in the locker is vital.

They switched things up against Fiji with Fin Smith pulling the strings at fly half and Marcus Smith joining the line from full back, but it was not a convincing performance.

They can deploy the firepower in a back line better than Ford can, but if Steward is fit, Borthwick may revert back to the territory game considering how clinical New Zealand are.

Whether the likes of Ford and Steward deserve to start remains to be seen, but for now, the kicking game is key.

Chessum will be a future England captain

Ollie Chessum put in another monstrous performance on Saturday. He was imperious in the lineout once again helping England boast a 100% success rate and was a workhorse for the 71 minutes he played.

With his leadership in the line out and ability to play blind side, he has quickly become a pivotal member of Borthwick’s team.

With a Lions tour already under his belt, it is hard to believe he is only 25 years old and appears to be a natural heir to Maro Itoje’s throne.

Still no centre partnership

England’s glaring hole in the squad is the lack of a centre partnership and is an area that has lacked stability for years.

Ollie Lawrence put his hand up as the stand-out centre before tearing his achilles last year.

Despite a miraculous recovery and instant return to form for Bath, he was left out against Australia.

Fraser Dingwall resumed his role as the glue and defensive marshall and Tommy Freeman moved over from the wing to slide into the 13 shirt.

They did not have their best performances, but it would have been very interesting to see if Borthwick continued the partnership against Fiji if Roebuck was fit.

Alas, Freeman moved back to his usual position, which gave Lawrence the opportunity to return.

Dingwall and Lawrence were solid on Saturday but lacked their usual cohesiveness, which raised yet more questions on what England’s best centre partnership is.

It would be great to see Freeman have more time at 13, especially considering our depth in wingers, but it would be hard to leave out Lawrence.

That said, if Dingwall struggles against New Zealand, would Borthwick be tempted to recall Slade or even Farrell? We have seen stranger things.

Conclusion

The main takeaway is that England are building. Although it seems as if they have been building since 2007, they have some serious momentum right now with a coach that is willing to adapt and pick on form instead of reputation.

They have quality in depth and a crop of players with Lions experience who are still young and not even in their prime. 

New Zealand will be their toughest test since France in the 6 Nations last year and the odds are very even.

England are currently 8/11 to win and New Zealand are 6/5. Right now, it is a coin toss, but you can use a sports bet calculator to see that the bookies have England as slight favourites.

Will Borthwick pressure the Kiwis with kicks? Will Fin Smith start? Freeman at 13? Should England be the favourites?

What we do know is that more questions will be answered come Saturday evening, win or lose.