Home debut: Alex Goode
The next chapter in England's journey starts now. Facing Fiji however is no easy warm-up match.
New faces and young blood might have been England's excuse back in February, but there is a certain level of expectation ahead of the November Internationals.
There will be three news caps on Saturday, all with little Premiership experience but with glowing reports from their club coaches.
The gradual conversion of Tom Youngs from a centre to hooker appears to be finally complete. Criticised for his throwing abilities, his completion average remains at around 85%, good enough for Test rugby. Combine that with his abilities as a scrummager and a weapon in the loose, and Youngs is a potent threat.
For part of Saturday he will be paired with Mako Vunipola, the young Saracen who has dazzled Graham Rowntree in training and whose power is an asset that England cannot ignore.
The final debutant is Joe Launchbury. Sidelined for much of last season, the athletic back row forward can also cover the second row and appears to be the complete package. Are they good enough for international level, or are England taking Fiji a touch lightly?
Elsewhere, it is a case of needs must. Chris Ashton's suspension denies him the opportunity to end his run of nine matches without a try. The loss of Dylan Hartley has thrust Youngs into the starting shirt. Jonathan Joseph's ankle has not recovered in time, nor has Alex Corbisiero's knee. Losing Ben Foden, a strong option for England both on the wing and at full-back, is arguably the greatest loss of all.
However, this England side still has enormous potential. Competition at scrum-half between Danny Care and Ben Youngs has not been this strong since the years of Matt Dawson and Kyran Bracken. Toby Flood is in fine form for Leicester, as are Dan Cole and Chris Robshaw, giving England the spine they need to beat the best sides in the world.
Fiji might not be one of those sides, but they do have some outstanding talent. Many names will be familiar to England, with Premiership stars such as Sireli Naqelevuki, Vereniki Goneva, Josh Matavesi and Akapusi Qera all set to be involved at Twickenham.
The 16 uncapped players in their squad highlight Fiji's current phase of rebuilding, plus their limited training time, late call ups and alarming lack of footwear ahead of Saturday's clash at Twickenham are likely to hinder their preparations.
Fiji's mixture of both home and foreign-based players saw them run Scotland close back in June in Suva, but taking on England away from home will be step into the deep end for Fiji's new players.
Developing new leaders is also essential given that captain Deacon Manu will be 36 by 2015, so this month's matches represent a huge opportunity for players such as fly-half Jonetani Ralulu, second row Leone Nakarawa and Exeter's Matavesi to become the core of this Fiji side going forward. It all starts at Twickenham.
Ones to watch:
For England: With a world-class operator in Dylan Hartley sidelined, all eyes will be on Tom Youngs on his England debut. Expected to start, the Leicester man has enormous potential but doubts have been raised in recent weeks about his temperament in big matches. The Fiji game is an ideal opportunity to take in a packed Twickenham Stadium and hit his targets at the lineout. Eyes will also be on Alex Goode at full-back, after the Saracen beat Mike Brown to the starting spot. Goode's ability to play as a second receiver eases the creative pressure on Toby Flood and Brad Barritt, so expect to find him in the thick of the action.
For Fiji: Despite originally turning down the opportunity to play for Fiji during the November Internationals, Akapusi Qera met up with the squad earlier in the week and should start against England on Saturday. Gradually gaining iconic status in the Aviva Premiership, Qera's work ethic, defence and ability to break the line have made him a fan favourite at Kingsholm. Alongside Qera will be the attacking threat of Vereniki Goneva. The Leicester winger is making a good fist of replacing Alesana Tuilagi so far, drawing defenders and also scoring a couple of tries himself.
Head-to-head: A confrontation between two juggernauts will see Manu Tuilagi and Sireli Naqelevuki line up against each other at Twickenham, ensuring lots of big collisions and line breaks from both players. Elsewhere young Joe Marler gets to make a first start against Fiji captain Deacon Manu - two players at opposite ends of their careers but who will both be filled with pride running out in front of a sell-out crowd.
Recent results:
1999: England won 45-24 at Twickenham
1991: England won 28-12 in Suva
1989: England won 58-23 at Twickenham
1988: England won 25-12 in Suva
Prediction: All the odds are against Fiji but England are not quite a fully-firing cohesive unit just yet. This should be open. England by 22.
The teams:
England: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Joe Launchbury, 19 Tom Wood, 20 Ben Youngs, 21 Owen Farrell, 22 Mike Brown.
Fiji: 15 Simeli Koniferedi, 14 Samu Wara, 13 Vereniki Goneva, 12 Sireli Naqelevuki, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Metuisela Talebula, 9 Nicola Matawalu, 8 Akapusi Qera 7 Malaki Ravulo, 6 Api Naikatani, 5 Apisolame Ratuniyarawa, 4 Leone Nakawara, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Viliame Veikoso, 1 Ratu Makutu.
Replacements: 16 Seremaia Naureure, 17 Setafano Samoca, 18 Manasa Saulo, 19 Sekonaia Kalou, 20 Iliesa Ratuva, 21 Kelemedi Bola, 22 Josh Matavesi, 23 Ravai Fatiaki.
Date: Saturday, November 10
Kick-off: 14:30 (GMT)
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa),Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Television match official: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
by Ben Coles
@bencoles_
Comments
DBRowan says...
@Jonesy2 - it is not an issue of world class players (Foden normally I would say - Muliaina said he was the hardest player to play against in the NH 2 years ago) of which you could argue that guys like Cole, Care, Robshaw - while not being the best in their position can still mix it with some very good players and not come off worse for wear. Of the Fijians I am not sure there are any who can say that.
The big issue is professional/international level players, look at the article! 16 uncapped Fijians! Most of these are not playing professional rugby in Europe or in Super Rugby. I still think it will be a close encounter with England pulling away later on, but that is down to rustiness, not the fact that the teams are of a similar skill - that's ignorant. England are 4th in the world, Fiji are 14th (behind Canada that is). I look forward to a great match tomorrow, but realistically England should be disappointed with themselves if they don't win by more than 20 vs a young, inexperienced, financially broke Fijian side @ Twickenham (see previous scores at Twickenham).
Posted 09:03 10th November 2012
jonesy2 says...
that supposed to read, both wothout any real world class players, not whatever i typed haha brain fart
Posted 06:47 10th November 2012
jonesy2 says...
haha england by 22 more comedy planet rugby. looking at the two sides they cant really be separated both very any real world class players but fiji's natural ability may give them the edge
Posted 06:46 10th November 2012
Trinats2 says...
ENG 18 - 18 FIJI
Posted 03:41 10th November 2012
Frooschman says...
Sirtidychris - spot on. Utterly offensive!
Posted 21:24 09th November 2012
Frooschman says...
Sirtidychris - spot on. Utterly offensive!
Posted 21:24 09th November 2012
tagi83 says...
GO FIJI!!!......
Posted 19:40 09th November 2012
sirtidychris says...
Why have england only named 7 out of 8 avaliable subs ? one would imagine David Wilson is missing from the team sheet as mako cant cover tighthead
Posted 18:55 09th November 2012
NHsaints says...
I'd be dissapointed with any less than a 20 point winning margin but I don't expect an absolute thrashing of Fiji this early on. Marler has said it though and I will say it as well now...England have had 8 games together now, they really need to start fufilling their potential and start winning games.
Posted 17:55 09th November 2012
sirtidychris says...
I don't know why but i hate the fact thomas waldrom is anywhere near the england team.....give me morgan, fearns, crane, vunipola, narraway, easter, Haskell, robshaw, dowson anyone but this chap im not saying he doesn't have talent but i feel he makes our team look like a joke and i hate to see him in an england shirt.
I don't know why but i don't have the same problem with hartley and barrat...maybe because they have been in the country for alot longer, pouring thier efforts into the clubs and have earned their 3 year residency along with being the best on offer in their respective positions but waldrom isn't the best, he had an english granny and boom he is starting over all our home grown 8's.
Posted 16:17 09th November 2012
TVaddict says...
I really don't think 22 is too generous. When I look at this team I can't really see any areas, other than open field barbarians style running, that we shouldn't dominate. The restart, scrum and lineout should be a dominant platform for us to launch our attack. Defence in the mid-field is about as solid as a mid-field defence could be. The backrow look like they'll be able to match the pace of Figi but with better stamina.
If it's good weather then I expect:
Figi to score an early try which will be a shock to the system (at half time the commentator will use the phrase "Well that is what they can do if you give them the opportunity"), but England to fight back and win the first half by about 5 points. Second half will be dominated by England who will finish the game with about a 20 point lead.
Youngs to mess up his first 2-3 throws but to settle after that. Younger Youngs to score a try when he comes on. Vunipola and Launchbury to have solid, if unspectacular, performances when they come on. Monye to drop the ball in a try scoring move, is he to become the next Cueto?
Posted 13:44 09th November 2012
PREEST says...
I think it goes without saying; anything less than a 20 point winning margin would be a failure. Any of the top 3 would put at least 30 points on the Fijians.
Posted 13:11 09th November 2012
heathy says...
@ markpat - I totally agree. We are #4 in the world rankings and so this should be notched up as a victory by 22 points plus. I know we are rebuilding but we did well in South Africa all things considering and although rugby-rockstar says we got a thumping up front (which I don't 'technically' disagree with) it was only in patches and the scorelines were not that far apart. Don't forget this was in their back yard, at altitude and with a pretty much brand new team. Now we are at home, a few months on and players should feel in familiar surroundings. No excuses if you want to be successful. For me, the Fiji's will want to play as loose a game as possible. They do not relish the set piece and want to fling the ball about. This is how they will see their way to beating England. England need to tighten things up and force the Fijians into a more controlled game. We need to go through the phases, work the combinations and be tactically estute. If we get this right and defend like we are capable of, the Fijians should not get close. For me it IS a warm up game and HOW we play (more than the result itself) is just as important. Do all the right things and we should cover the 22 points with ease.
Posted 12:53 09th November 2012
APV1 says...
@ markpat - good points, well put.
Posted 12:22 09th November 2012
markpat says...
To be honest, Scotland were all over them down in Fiji and, as far as I'm aware, this is potentially a weaker side than they put out at that time. I don't think 22 is too generous. Anything less than that should be viewed as a disappointment and a concern before the upcoming 3 games.
If you want to compete with the top teams, you need to be able to put the weaker teams away, regardless of how dangerous they may be.
Teams struggle against weaker opposition when you aren't efficient up front and precise in your execution. Both of those mean losses against the bigger teams.
New combinations, etc., shouldn't be an excuse. That "should" only really come into play when you are in pressure situations, which a game against Fiji shouldn't be for a team claiming to be #4 in the world. I think all of the top 3 would consider a friendly against Fiji to be a game to finalise the execution that you have been working on in practice and not a potential banana skin.
Posted 11:44 09th November 2012
pierredelot1 says...
Frankly if England fail to win by more than 15 points it will be a failure. Fiji try to play open exciting rugby but of late have tried to invoke a new discipline and team ethic, but they shouldn't be in the same class. England have to go out there and scrummage well, then play them off the park. Lets see how the debutantes perform.
England have to show some progress now.
Posted 11:14 09th November 2012
APV1 says...
@ melkdave - I agree. 22 pojnts would be great (anything over 15 would negate our "Home Advantage" handicap in the IRB Rankings).
I don't think we'll take them lightly, especially as we know some of the players only too well. We also know how fleet-of-foot their runners are, having seen their heels too often in the 7s. If we don't make our first-up tackles and give their back three some space to run, it will be a tough afternoon. Our defence hasn't been an issue for many years and with BB at 12, we're solid in the centre. Monye, Sharples and Goode have to be aware of their speed and fancy footwork and not let them get past. All three have great defensive ability, let's hope they bring it tomorrow.
That said, I think we'll still beat them. At least, we bloody well better do!
Posted 10:55 09th November 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
This has a bit of the SA tour mid week games feel to it. But I'm pleased to see that Lancaster is giving his test team 80 minute on the pitch to blow out the cobwebs.
I'd be the first to say that England are not really a world force right now. The SA tour was a thumping up front and we have big issues to sort out in the pack if we're ever going to give the Backs space to score tries. This match is about performance and yes Australia will study the game tape, but we're not in the position where we can waste a test match playing mind games with the wallabies. I want to see England lay out their RWC 2013 manifesto. This is what we're going to do and we're going to get so good at it that you won't be able to stop it even though you know its coming. Forget Fiji. concentrate on improving. We've got alot of improving to do in a short space of time so lets get on with it. No nonsense cracking heads (metaphorically of course).
Posted 10:28 09th November 2012
melkdave says...
England by 22 i feel is being a tad generous imo,i do expect England to win but only by 9-12 points to be honest.1st international of the new season ,new combinations and starters ,will i think mean England having to find their feet a bit.I also learned never take any side lightly along time ago,and even if Fiji are rebulding/missing a few players ,they can stil play good rugby.
Posted 09:45 09th November 2012