Fiji is back in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2007, setting the stage for a showdown with England in the same Marseille arena where they famously challenged South Africa 16 years ago.
In their last-eight match against the eventual champions in 2007, Fiji mounted a thrilling comeback from a 20-6 deficit, briefly levelling the scores in the final quarter before South Africa ultimately triumphed.
Head coach Simon Raiwalui has made several changes to his starting XV after Fiji’s narrow one-point loss to Portugal in Toulouse. Tevita Ikanivere is set to make his first Rugby World Cup start, Albert Tuisue returns for the first time since the opening-round loss to Wales, and Lekima Tagitagivalu, who tallied a team-high 16 tackles against England in August, returns to the back-row after missing the previous week’s match.
Semi Radradra takes his place on the left wing, while Vinaya Habosi shifts to the right, and Ilaisa Droasese returns as the full-back.
England, too, has historical ties to Marseille, as they were in the same city at this stage 16 years ago. Back then, Jonny Wilkinson guided the defending champions to victory against Australia, leading them to a semi-final encounter with France. Interestingly, history could repeat itself if both sides secure victories this weekend.
England’s head coach Steve Borthwick has made adjustments to the lineup following their close win over Samoa. Captain Owen Farrell returns to the fly-half position, paired with Alex Mitchell as the half-back partner.
Elliot Daly reclaims the left-wing position after playing at outside centre against Chile, and Jonny May shifts to the right wing. Joe Marchant moves from right-wing to outside centre, reuniting with Manu Tuilagi in the midfield. Marcus Smith starts as a full-back for only the second time in his test career.
The upcoming clash between Fiji and England marks their ninth meeting. England has claimed victory in seven of their eight previous encounters. Nevertheless, England will remember the recent meeting where Fiji scored three second-half tries at Twickenham, resulting in a 30-22 victory, their first-ever win against England.
One of the key talking points of this match will be Fiji’s inconsistent performance in the tournament thus far. While they nearly mounted a thrilling comeback against Wales in the opening round, they delivered a spectacular victory over Australia. However, they struggled against Georgia and lost to a spirited Portugal in what has been dubbed the match of the tournament.
The player head-to-head to watch is Manu Tuilagi versus Josua Tuisova. These two powerhouse centres will leave no quarter given or expected as they face off in the midfield.
An interesting stat to note is that England has won 64 per cent of their test matches when Owen Farrell has started at fly-half, compared to 74 per cent when he started at inside-centre.
The match will be officiated by Mathieu Raynal from France, who previously refereed England’s pool game against Argentina and issued the first red card of the tournament to flanker Tom Curry.
It promises to be an exciting and unpredictable clash as Fiji looks to make history once again and England aims to advance further in the competition.
