Stepping off the team bus in the Mersey docks, Steve Borthwick received an ominous Fijian welcome. Two Pacific warriors, wearing skirts made from dried root fibre, created an archway with two battle axes. At 6ft 6in, England’s head coach had to duck under the blades. Pretty close to the bone for the man whose head is very much on the block.
Borthwick survived to tell the tale, although this felt like a hollow preparation for next week’s trip into the Andes to face Argentina. Unfortunately for Fiji, the tribesmen at the stadium entrance were as threatening as they got.
The result ended England’s run of five defeats, although the feeble resistance from the opposition meant this did not answer the leading questions about where Borthwick’s team are heading. If England had failed to beat this opposition then the coach’s future could have been untenable. His team played most of the game against 14-men and, were it not for a few handling errors in the 22, the winning margin could have been even greater.
Henry Pollock scored a hat-trick from the bench. It was perhaps the easiest hat-trick he will ever score but will nevertheless increase the calls for him to be handed the starting jersey. Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Noah Caluori also scored on debut and Borthwick should now give them a chance to take on sterner opposition when they land in South America.
This was one of the limpest Fijian performances of a generation. Their union is embroiled in political rows, having sacked their successful Australian coach to appoint a domestic option. ‘The players have been well-looked after and paid well, where is the return on investment?’ asked their chairman before kick-off. Quite the team talk.
The feeble resistance from the opposition meant this did not answer the leading questions about where Borthwick’s team are heading
Henry Pollock scored a hat-trick from the bench – perhaps the easiest hat-trick he will ever score
Fiji have adopted an ill-disciplined game plan, where players have apparently been given license to run the ball from anywhere. Red and yellow cards in the first half left them open for punishment. Borthwick was a set-piece specialist as a player and that much at least has transferred through to this England team. They scrummed the Fijians into Liverpool Bay.
Another injury to Alex Mitchell will test out England’s scrum-half reserves. Marcus Smith comfortably took over at No9 for the last 25 minutes. In a world where versatility is a selection trump card, Smith’s cameo could convince the selectors to go with one specialist No9 in future matchday 23s, allowing them to power up their bench with an extra forward.
‘From what we saw today, I think that is certainly a viable option,’ said Borthwick. ‘Marcus stepping in was superb. I thought he played really physically in the contact and the tackle. He was so alive. He made a lot of good things happen.’
The tries came thick and fast. England scored 11 in total, running up a record scoreline. What a shocker for Fiji. The stands began to empty long before full-time because the victory was secured inside half an hour. To make matters worse, the 52,000 in the stands suffered a death by TMO. This was one of the slowest games of the year, dragged down by relentless stoppages and referrals which will do nothing to convert Liverpool’s football-loving masses.
Having seen the leading nations fire up their attacking speed, Jack van Poortvliet picked from the base of the ruck and ran Fiji into the ground. The opening try summed up Fiji’s headspace. Fin Smith sent a crossfield kick to Tommy Freeman and every Fijian stopped because they thought the ball had gone out of play. Except the corner flag had kept the ball infield and Marcus Smith was the only one who noticed, simply touching down the ball to score.
Levani Botia quickly lost his patience with the officials, as Fiji conceded penalty after penalty. England found a way to capitalise on the new maul interpretations, piling men into the drive, leaving Fiji with the choice between infringing for a penalty or being pushed over their own line.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Noah Caluori (above) also scored on debut and Borthwick should now give them to take on sterner opposition when they land in South America
There was a warm reception for Van Rensburg, whose family booked a last-minute flight over from their remote farm in South Africa to watch his debut. They enjoyed a day out at Wimbledon when they landed, before watching the centre score with his first touch of the ball when he came on as a head injury replacement for Henry Slade in the first half.
Seb Atkinson got on the scoresheet, as did Guy Peper and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Some of the attacking play will make neat reels for social media, but otherwise it felt skin deep.
This was a sad day for Fijian rugby, which looks to have slipped back into old ways. Maybe they should give the tribesmen a run next week. The one crying shame is they were not able to host this ‘home’ game in their own country. The Hill Dickinson is a magnificent stadium but it is a farcical situation when they have to give up the advantage of playing in their own territory.
As far as England are concerned, the outcome will keep Borthwick’s critics at bay for a couple of days. But if England do not stay on the winning track against Argentina, the knives will quickly come out again.
