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Arundell pace and quality bench power England home
With the match still in the balance, British and Irish Lions duo Henry Pollock and Tom Curry both stood with their hands on their hips, impatiently waiting to enter the Test arena.
An entire front row of fellow Lion Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour were also ready for battle.
All five England forwards strode on to the pitch on the 54-minute mark as Steve Borthwick sought to take the game away from stubborn opponents.
The score was 21-18 at that point.
As in last week's win against Australia, England's bench proved the difference, bringing new levels of energy as England raced away from a tiring Fiji to win 38-18.
Replacement wing Henry Arundell, celebrating his 23rd birthday, also had a telling impact on his return to international rugby after being ineligible for two years while playing his club rugby in France.
Starting behind the halfway line, the Bath flyer accelerated past two Fiji defenders and team-mate Marcus Smith, who kicked the ball through, to score a stunning try.
That passage of play summed up the star quality and X-factor on Borthwick's bench - and the stiff competition for places.
"We have a number of players with pace on the edges and on the wing," Borthwick said.
It is exactly the tough decisions you want as a head coach.
Captain Maro Itoje also scored off the bench as did former England skipper George.
Last week against the Wallabies, 20-year-old replacement Pollock scooped the ball up with one hand to score a memorable try that confirmed England's dominance.
"We've seen in Test matches that the margins are so small," Borthwick added.
"It is about understanding the fitness of the players for going 80 minutes and the impact of the bench.
That alongside composure and resilience are important components.
England have now won nine straight games - the last time they enjoyed a longer streak was an 18-game run from 2015 to 2017 during which they won their last Grand Slam.
Having lost so many Tests by fine margins in the final quarter last year, England's strength and depth is now showing.
Fin Smith was back at fly-half against Fiji with his namesake Marcus Smith, another Lions tourist and fly-half, at full-back in a much-changed side.
Both Smiths needed to grasp the opportunity with George Ford still believed to be the front-runner to start at fly-half against the All Blacks and Freddie Steward set to return from injury to contest the full-back position.
Fin Smith, who admitted he was disappointed by his form on the Lions tour, controlled the attack well and played the entire 80 minutes to prove his ability to come through sticky moments in games.
Marcus Smith's eye for a gap helped Arundell to his moment of glory, with his grubber kicking behind Fiji used regularly to good affect, but doubts still remain about his quality at full-back.
"This team has come under a bit of criticism in tight games, certainly under my reign as captain [in 2024]," George told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"We had composure and clarity in the huddle where I thought Fin Smith led really well.
"When you're bringing on the likes of Tom Curry and Maro, that sort of experience in the huddle is invaluable.
"It's all been part of the process. We're still on the early part of the curve of becoming the team we want to be.
We do have an end goal of winning the World Cup but at the same time we are aware we need to be a significantly better team in order to do that.
Next Saturday, Borthwick's side face a dangerous New Zealand team, who they lost narrowly against three times in 2024.
Scott Robertson's side also used their bench to defeat Scotland late on after a score by replacement Damian McKenzie proved vital.
"We look forward to it. Can't wait," said Ellis Genge, who captained England for the third time before Itoje's arrival off the bench.
It will be a battle of attrition. In years gone by they've been known for chucking the ball about but they've got some big physical lumps in there now, so we'll relish that.
Fiji claimed a 30-22 victory over England in a warm-up game before the 2023 World Cup but lost 30-24 in a bruising quarter-final at the tournament.
Ranked ninth in the world, the visitors scored three tries and were a threat for large portions of the game at Allianz Stadium
A key moment came before Arundell's try when scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli spilled the ball in the act of scoring.
That try would have put Fiji back within a score and might have changed the momentum heading into the final quarter.
"I thought he had control of the ball but the TMO said he lost control," said Fiji head coach Mick Byrne. "But at no stage did he, as it went from one arm to the other.
It would have been nice to have that momentum following a try.
The defeat ended a five-match winning run - which was the Pacific Island side's equal best streak since 1999.
Borthwick was impressed by the visitors and said his side can learn a lot from the way Fiji play.
"If they continue their development and with the impact Fijian Drua [their Super Rugby Pacific side] are having, I would not be surprised if they are challenging the top four and for Rugby World Cup semi-finals," Borthwick added.
They are that good.
Source: BBC
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