ENGLAND scored four second-half tries to pull away from a determined Fiji side in their second autumn international at Allianz Stadium.
Luke Cowan-Dickie opened the scoring for England before Fiji hit back through Tevita Ikanivere and Caleb Muntz.
Fly-half Muntz missed both conversions but landed a penalty to give the visitors a brief lead before Immanuel Feyi-Waboso crossed for England.
Ellis Genge and Ikanivere then traded tries in a lively second half, leaving the contest finely poised at 21-18.
But once again, England’s bench made the difference. With five fresh forwards introduced, Jamie George and Henry Arundell, the latter showcasing his blistering pace — added quickfire tries to take the hosts clear. Those scores came either side of a crucial moment when Fiji scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli lost control while attempting to ground the ball.
Captain Maro Itoje, also a replacement, sealed the win with a late try.
England head coach Steve Borthwick will be pleased with his side’s composure ahead of next Saturday’s clash against New Zealand — their toughest test of the autumn.
Fiji rue disallowed try
Fiji head coach Mick Byrne said his team could take heart from their performance despite the 40-18 defeat.
“I think we did good work in the lead-up and it didn’t look like [Kuruvoli] lost control,” Byrne told BBC Sport.
“It would have been a nice try to score. I’m not sure we would have won, but it would have kept the momentum going our way.
“Full credit to England and Steve [Borthwick] for what they did in the last 20 minutes.
“We’re making the progress we need ahead of 2027. We’ll learn from this and be fitter and stronger.”
