Henry Arundell X-factor leads England’s star bench against Fiji
With the match still in the balance, British and Irish Lions duo Henry Pollock and Tom Curry stood with their hands on their hips, waiting to enter the Test arena.
Fellow front-row Lions Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour were all ready for battle.
All five of England’s forwards took the field in the 54th minute as Steve Borthwick tried to take the game away from stubborn opponents.
At this point the score was 21-18.
As in last week’s win against Australia, the England bench proved the difference, bringing new levels of energy and experience as England emerged from a tiring Fiji with a 38-18 victory.
Reserve wing Henry Arundell, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday, also had a significant impact on his return to international rugby two years later.
Starting from behind the midfield line, the Bath flyer scored a superb try past two Fijian defenders and team-mate Marcus Smith, who shot the ball.
This passage of play encapsulated the star quality and X-factor of the Borthwick bench and the fierce competition for places.
“We have a lot of players with pace on the flanks and wings,” Borthwick said.
“These are exactly the tough decisions you want to make as a head coach.”
Captain Maro Itoje also scored from the bench, as did former England captain Jamie George.
Against the Wallabies last week, 20-year-old substitute Pollock lifted the ball with one hand to score a memorable try that confirmed England’s dominance.
“We saw in Test matches that the margins were very small,” Borthwick added.
“It’s about understanding the players’ fitness for 80 minutes and the impact of the bench.
“This, along with composure and endurance, are important components.”
England have won nine matches in a row so far; They last won their last Grand Slam during a longer streak of 18 matches from 2015 to 2017.
Their current run dates back to their defeat in the opening match of this year’s Six Nations in Ireland.
Having lost many Tests by narrow margins in the final quarter of last year, England’s strength and depth are now showing.
Fin Smith returned at scrum-half against Fiji alongside his namesake Marcus Smith, another Lions tourist and fly-half full-back.
Both players needed to seize the opportunity with George Ford believed to be the front-runner to face the All Blacks.
Fin Smith, who admitted he was disappointed with his performance in the Lions tour, controlled the attack well and played throughout the 80 minutes to prove his ability to get through tough moments.
Marcus Smith’s gap-catching ability helped Arundell reach the moment of victory; The spinner’s kick to Fiji’s backs would regularly make good impact, but there are still doubts about his quality at full-back.
“This team has come under some criticism, especially during my time as captain, in tough matches [in 2024]”George told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We had a calm and clear performance in the meeting, which I thought Finn Smith led really well.
“When you add guys like Tom Curry and Maro, that kind of meeting experience is invaluable.
“It was all part of the process, it was all part of the journey. We are still in the early stages of becoming the team we want to be.”
“We have the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup, but we also realize that we need to be a much better team to do that.”
Borthwick’s team will face a dangerous New Zealand team, who were narrowly defeated last autumn next Saturday.
Scott Robertson’s side also used the bench to beat Scotland late on, after Damian McKenzie’s substitute scoring proved vital.
“They will come here hoping to win and we can’t wait to test ourselves against them,” Borthwick said.
