England experienced a suffocating end to the match against Fiji on Sunday in Marseille, signing a narrow victory (30-24) which allowed them to qualify for the semi-final. She will face the winner of the match between France and South Africa. The Fijians failed to achieve the feat of reaching the final four of the competition for the first time in their history.
Published on: 10/15/2023 – 6:57 p.m. Modified on: 10/15/2023 – 7:17 p.m.
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In front for 60 minutes, the English were able to resist the comeback of the Fijians during the last 20 minutes of the match played on October 15 in Marseille to win (30-24) and qualify for the semi-final of the Cup of the world.
Faced with a Fijian team that was too undisciplined, the English relied on the efficiency against the posts of their fly-half and captain Owen Farrell, who opened the scoring from a penalty in the 11th minute. Two minutes later, three-quarter center Manu Tuilagi scored a powerful try and offered a first breath of fresh air to the XV de la Rose (8-0).
The English were able to deprive the Fijians of balls by relying on their very effective forward pack. Completely in control, they occupied the opposing camp and offered precious balls to their three-quarters. Joe Marchant took the opportunity in the 21st minute to score another try, converted by Owen Farrell. On the Fijian side, number 9 Frank Lomani experienced two failures against the posts and only managed to score 3 points from penalties (15-3) during the start of the match.
The temporary expulsion of winger Vinaya Habosi in the 23rd minute further complicated the Fijians’ task. However, it was during this numerical inferiority that they finally managed to prove dangerous in the English camp, with a try for third row Viliame Mata in the 28th minute (15-10).
Fierce in defense, the Fijians distributed some fine tackles. The English suffered, like Mario Itoje and Courtney Lawes, severely shaken, but they did not give in. Pragmatic, they continued to take advantage of Fijian mistakes to score points and return to the locker room with a lead of 11 points (21-10).
Two Fijian tries in five minutes
The English resumed the match at the same pace, with the desire to knock out the Fijians. They immediately settled within their opponents’ 22 meters and believed they could score a third try in the 45th minute on a good carried ball, an exercise in which they excel. But the Fijians knew how to defend their line and obtained a penalty.
Courageous and generous, the island players continued to leave a physical mark on the English, notably full-back Marcus Smith. Sterile efforts on the scoreboard, while the English scored 3 more points and seemed to be heading quietly towards qualification in the semi-final (24-10).
To do this, they had to control the last 20 minutes of the match and contain the Fijian attacks until the end. They did not succeed and were very scared, the pillar Peni Ravai and the fly-half Vilimoni Botitu scoring two tries in five minutes to bring the two teams back to level (24-24).
Under the eyes of Sir Johnny Wilkinson present in the Stade Vélodrome, the English relied on their feet to regain the lead, with a precious drop from Owen Farrell in the 72nd minute. And he scored three more on a final penalty, for a total of 20 points in this quarter-final won painfully by England (30-24). On October 21, she will face the winner of the France-South Africa match.
