“We know them pretty well, we know the quality of the players they’ve got in their team, and how well Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards and these guys will have them prepared to play us”.
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Hours before kick-off the streets and bars around the stadium in west London were thronging with England fans singing “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, following a build-up to the tournament lasting months. Analysis showed a dropped ball over the line, but strong work from the Fiji scrum paved the way for a top class cross-kick from Volavola, who found giant wing Namali Nadolo leaping above Anthony Watson for a sublime try.
Fiji offered massive physicality but little or no teamwork yet it was only in the last play of the match that second-half replacement Billy Vinupola crashed over for the all-important fourth try and that extra bonus point that could prove critical in England’s group of death.
Substitute Billy Vunipola scored with the final play of the game to secure his side a bonus point.
“With the quality of the team coming up against next week we need to be at our best and it’s a big challenge against Wales”.
His brother Mako also made an impact and, after England’s scrum surprisingly failed to dominate, Lancaster will be considering both men for a starting berth against Wales back at Twickenham next Saturday.
An opening ceremony that was full of meaning and history launched the 2015 Rugby World Cup at the iconic “home of rugby” – Twickenham Stadium.
“We always select one game at a time and the the bench really put their hands up and that’s what you want them to do”, said Lancaster.
The first five-pointer of the tournament was a penalty try and England fullback Mike Brown scored the second to give the hosts a 15-nil lead midway through the first-half.
“We didn’t get our game plan into action”, he said. They’re not particularly adventurous in the way they approach the game even though they’ve got some great talent to do it.
A 12th-minute driving maul splintered the Fijian defence, forcing them to drag it down and concede a penalty try.
“Still it is a potential banana skin out of the way and we managed to get it back eventually and we’ll take the positives”.
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It was 18-8 to England at half-time and it stayed that way for 24 minutes after the restart as Fiji kept the English at bay.
