England extended their winning run with a convincing 38-18 victory over Fiji. Here are 3 of the biggest takeaways from that game.
The bench made the difference once again
For the second week in a row, England's bench secured a game that was in the balance. The "Pom Squad" as it has been dubbed by some, is quickly making a name for itself whilst fixing some major issues that had cost England in the past. The front row was rotated back this week with Cowan-Dickie and Genge coming back into the starting XV next to Joe Heyes. Baxter and opoku-Fordjour brought some youth off the bench which was then bolstered by a couple of England stalwarts in Maro Itoje and Jamie George. This was the first time that Itoje had been selected on the bench for his country in 7 years. He made his mark with a try five minutes into his cameo.
Henry Arundell is back with a bang
One member of the bench that I didn't mention above is Henry Arundell and that wasn't an accident. The Bath winger made his first appearance for his country since the 2023 World Cup and reminded England fans why he was so hyped up when he first burst onto the scene. His years in France have clearly been fruitful and his return to Bath has already been triumphant with several highlight-reel worthy tries. He brought that to this game and got his try in spectacular fashion to cap off an excellent game.
Fin Smith should be England's starting fly-half
The debate over England's fly-half position rages on going into the biggest game of this series against New Zealand. George Ford played well against Australia, but Fin Smith also impressed massively against Fiji on Saturday. Marcus Smith seems to have been relegated to the role of back-up fullback by Steve Borthwick so this is now a two-horse race. What should give Fin Smith the edge is his defence. The Saints man is a rock in a position that is often a soft spot for teams to attack. His ability to run the attack is at least comparable to George Ford's so his tackling should set him apart.
Add comment
Comments