Steve Borthwick praises England’s ‘written off players’ after staving off Fijian comeback

England head coach Steve Borthwick couldn’t hide his delight after his side advanced to the Rugby World Cup semi-finals courtesy of a narrow 30-24 victory over Fiji in Marseille on Sunday.

Borthwick was full of praise for his players’ composure and resilience after they staved off a thrilling comeback from the Pacific Islanders in the final quarter.

The Flying Fijians were trailing 24-10 midway through the second half before converted tries from Peni Ravai and Vilimoni Botitu drew them level at 24-24. However, the Red Rose’s captain Owen Farrell slotted a late drop-goal and penalty to secure victory for his team.

Springboks lying in wait

The win means England will now face defending champions South Africa in the semi-finals in what will be a repeat of the 2019 final, after the Springboks edged out hosts France in their quarter-final on Sunday evening.

“For large parts of the game we controlled it,” Borthwick said after the victory against Fiji. “There was a spell when Fiji scored back-to-back tries which Fiji can do well, probably better than anyone else in the world, but we stayed composed and got back ahead on the scoreboard.

“The players were written off. A lot of people said we wouldn’t get out of the pool. We got out of the pool, now we got out of the quarter-final.

“Now these players have an opportunity in Paris in the semi-final. I am sure we will be written off again, but these players rise to the occasion.”

Farrell led by example and finished with a 20-point haul – courtesy of his drop goal, five penalties and a conversion – on his return as starting fly-half, and Borthwick said: “I think he is a fantastic leader. He is the kind of leader I know I would want to follow on to the pitch.

“I think he is a brilliant player who thrives in the contest, and especially in these big occasions he just gets even better.”

England are now just one win away from a second successive World Cup final appearance, and while they will start as overwhelming underdogs to progress further next Saturday, Borthwick’s side made it five successive victories in the competition.

“Today, for large parts we controlled the game and then had a couple of thunderbolts that hit the team in quick succession,” he added.

“I think you’ve seen in a (recent) period of time the England team weren’t coming back to win that game, and this team did.

“We talked about scenarios and how you handle different situations. I think the players are drawing on all of those experiences now.”

England controlled the closing minutes of an entertaining clash in exemplary fashion as Fiji threatened to complete a recovery act they almost pulled off against Wales last month.

Happy with England’s game management

Farrell said: “I thought the team was brilliant in those moments. We managed to wrestle our way back into the game and we got in the right parts of the field.

“We managed to take our chances. Not just that, but we backed it up with a big defensive performance on the back of that.

“There are a lot of good teams left in this competition.

“We have got to have a massive amount of respect for what other teams can do – that is what this stage is like. You saw from Fiji today how much power and skill they had, and they could turn it on in the blink of eye.

“We will prepare the way we have been doing over the past five-six weeks we have been here. We will enjoy getting to a big occasion and a big week, and we will attack it.”

READ MORE: Owen Farrell drop goal helps England edge fantastic Fiji to book Rugby World Cup semi-final spot