England v Fiji: Winners and losers as ‘threatening’ winger makes statement while indiscipline costs ‘brilliant’ visitors
England vs Fiji winners and losers as 'threatening' winger makes statement while 'indiscipline' costs 'brilliant' visitors
England impressed the Twickenham crowd on Saturday, beating Fiji 38-18 in their second match of the Autumn Nations Series.
Here are our winners and losers from the game.
Winners
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
With plenty of competition for the wing shirt, he needed to put in a solid performance to ward off potential replacements ahead of next week’s huge clash with New Zealand. This, he did, charging into each Fijian hit, and keeping himself busy throughout, as well as taking advantage of a cross-field kick-pass to score just before the half. Henry Arundell, Tom Roebuck, Elliot Daly and Cadan Murley all have an eye on the wing spots, so both Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman are being pushed to perform at their best.
Chandler Cunningham-South
The giant Quins back-rower was given the keys at number eight for the first time in international colours, and he didn’t disappoint. With the absence of Tom Willis from English rugby for the foreseeable, CCS has proven to be a formidable replacement option. He went man for man against the giant, bruising Fijians, and came out on top. England need weight at the back of the scrum, and the 22-year-old has provided a very real statement of intent.
Henry Arundell
There has been plenty of buzz around England regarding Arundell’s place in the team, and after his cameo on Saturday, those conversations are set to get slightly louder. He showed sheer pace to sprint past Fiji number 13 Kalaveti Ravouvou, as he latched onto a searching kick downfield by Marcus Smith to score England’s fifth of the game. He looked threatening with each touch of the ball, notably collecting a high kick down the left-hand side, which almost resulted in yet another score for the men in white. With a huge test against the All Blacks on the horizon, Arundell has given Steve Borthwick a real headache out wide.
Pita-Gus Sowakula
The former All Black was arguably the standout player of the first half. His giant frame and silver hair were easy to spot, even from the skies of Twickenham. Despite being easy to spot, he was certainly not easy to stop. His running lines were angled perfectly, and his offloads were so elegantly on target. He appeared to have more time than anyone else on the field, causing constant problems for the England defence.
Salesi Rayasi
He marshalled the skies brilliantly, denting the England game plan, which initially appeared to be designed around putting the full-back under pressure. As it was, he remained calm throughout and impressively beat six defenders throughout the match.
Losers
Fraser Dingwall
The inside centre plays in such a way that he doesn’t stand out. In fact, his style his to make those around him look fantastic while he runs slightly under the radar. Sadly, Dingwall made little impact on those around him during this game and missed a couple of very simple tackles, including one that led to a try. He’s known as the glue of the England backline, so he will hope that Borthwick will stick with him moving forward.
Selestino Ravutaumada
Dangerously took Feyi-Waboso out in the air in the first half, which led to a yellow card. The two players collided, with the Englishman being propelled through the air and landing awkwardly. Many believed that it warranted a red card because of the high degree of danger, but the decision to issue a yellow was upheld following a bunker review.
TMO – Bunker review
Selestino Ravutaumada’s yellow card was, for some, deserving of a red card. Feyi-Waboso was launched high into the air when the Fijian star made contact with his lower body, causing the England winger to twist in the air and hit the ground with some force. It was determined that the incident did not warrant a red card due to Feyi-Waboso not landing on his head and without a high degree of danger. This point was disputed by the commentators and many around the ground.
Simione Kuruvoli
Kuruvoli had a great game. He was fast at the breakdown, he kicked well, and he ensured that the Fiji attack continued to play off front-foot ball. Sadly, after a brilliant piece of individual skill, the 26-year-old had a try cancelled out after it was determined that he had knocked the ball on under very little pressure. During the sliding motion of scoring the try, he switched the ball from his right hand to the left, releasing the ball on the turf as he did so, causing the knock-on.