UPDATE 2-Rugby-England finish strong again to overwhelm Fiji 38-18

England withstood a testing physical assault from a fired-up Fiji before their Bomb Squad again helped them secure a 38-18 victory at Twickenham on Saturday, their ninth successive win, and set them up for next week's New Zealand clash. England led 14-13 at halftime and 21-18 after an hour before their high-quality bench turned the game, just as it had in last week's win over Australia.

"It was one of the hardest games of rugby I have had to play. They have world-class players across the pitch," said flanker Ben Earl after being named man of the match for the second week in a row. "We have to give the respect to Fiji, they brought a plan that troubled us in the first half but I think our bench was brilliant."

Coach Steve Borthwick was also delighted with how his team dealt with Fiji's unique challenge. "You saw as soon as they got any space that they could score, they could make line breaks from just about anywhere and the players did really well throughout the game, managing that," he said.

"Understanding that it was going to be tight and then finding the ability to accelerate and convert the opportunities at the end was key. "Test match margins are so small and each one is going into the final quarter of the game within just a score or two. So the fitness of our players to be able to go 80 minutes, the impact of the bench and the composure and resilience, I think those are important components to ensure you finish the game as you want to." England started well too, as quick rucks and sharp handling sent hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie over for the opening try after five minutes.

Fiji hit back almost immediately as Tevita Ikanivere was almost untouched as he barrelled over from a rolling maul. Bulldozing centres Kalaveti Ravouvou and Josua Tuisova were proving a midfield menace and Fiji cut loose down the left before Caleb Muntz seized on Simione Kuruvoli’s kick to score their second try for a 10-7 lead.

FIJI'S RAVUTAUMADA GETS YELLOW CARD England worked their way back into the game and gained an advantage when Selestino Ravutaumada was yellow-carded for a reckless mid-air challenge on Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

A minute later the winger strolled into the space where Ravutaumada should have been to catch a Fin Smith kick for England’s second try, which Smith converted for a 14-13 halftime lead. England eventually took control, though it took them a while in the face of ferocious hits from the huge Fiji players.

Centre Ollie Lawrence, making his first England appearance since March, made a fantastic break and Ellis Genge was on hand to scoop up the loose ball and stretch over. Fiji struck straight back as Ikanivere scored his second after a clever lineout move and they had another score ruled out when TV replays showed Kuruvoli had lost possession as he slid over under the posts.

ENGLAND BOMB SQUAD SENT ON After 53 minutes Borthwick sent on his Bomb Squad with five replacement forwards entering the fray and it soon paid dividends as new hooker Jamie George got the fourth try.

It was a back replacement, however, who got the next one as, in his first appearance since the 2023 World Cup, winger Henry Arundell showed his electric pace to chase down a Marcus Smith kick. Maro Itoje, appearing off the bench for the first time in eight years, then dived over a pile of bodies NFL-style for a rare try to finish it off.

Having beaten Australia and Fiji, England take on a New Zealand team in the third leg of their Grand Slam tour after beating Scotland earlier. Fiji play France next week and will take heart from another impressive display.

"We started well and but when that try under the posts was scrubbed off we lost a bit of momentum," said their coach Mick Byrne. "England have a lot of depth and are finishing strongly these days and scoring a lot of points in the last quarter."