England vs Fiji - Steve Borthwick's Predicted Team for Rugby World Cup Quarter Final

After finishing at the top of Pool D, England can now turn their attention to the knock-out stages of the Rugby World Cup. England will take on Pool C runners-up Fiji in the quarter-finals, with Steve Borthwick once again poised some selection questions after last weekend's performance.

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England underperformed in Saturday's 18-17 victory over Samoa, as they scraped passed the Pacific Islanders despite expectations of a comfortable win.

They come up against Fiji in their first meeting in just over a month, and want to make amends for their historic first-ever defeat last time out at Twickenham.

Here are RUCK's predictions, for the England side that will play Samoa

15. Freddie Steward

14. Henry Arundell

11. Elliot Daly

Where do you begin with the back three, in this classic conundrum of not being able to please all of the people, all of the time. With Marcus Smith converted to full-back in Borthwick's eyes, you would be hard-pressed to utilise the Harlequins' talents from the get go, however, the former Leicester Head Coach knows all too well the world-class talents that Freddie Steward can bring to the 15 jersey on his day.

We predict the reliable Steward will start in the high-stakes quarter-final, with Smith ready to provide a burst of high-octane energy to lift (or rescue) the game against Fiji in the second half. After scoring five tries and annoucing himself to the Rugby World Cup, it was a crying shame to see Henry Arundell excluded entirley for the match against Samoa. Joe Marchant is utilised better at outside centre than on the wing, and we would like to see the Racing 92 speedster return to the fold against Fiji.

Marchant will start, to provide a covering option should Arundell leave the pitch, with the left wing spot going to the equally versatile Elliot Daly. The Saracen has excelled on the left wing, fullback and centre in his England career, and he provides an adaptable option for Borthwick, should he need to shake up the side in the matches' latter stages. Also, Daly has been firing well since his return from injury, and deserves a start in the quarter-finals.

As mentioned, Marchant should begin the match against Fiji at outside centre, and provide the covering option on the wing if it is required. Along with the rest of the England side, the Stade Francais man had a slower match than he would have hoped against Samoa, and is eager to right the wrongs against Fiji this Sunday. After running out against the country of his birth, it is expected to see Manu Tuilagi return to England's midfield for the quarter-final match.

England can pull from their recent experience against Fiji as to what to expect. The Pacific Islanders recorded their first ever win against England during the 2023 Summer Nations in August, as Tuilagi lined up with Ollie Lawrence in the centres. England certainly chose brawn last Summer, with Fiji able to utilise their flair and work their way passed the bruising centres. There is no denying the match-winning talents that Tuilagi brings, and the Sale Sharks man will be ready to crash over the Fijian gain-line.

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We return to the epicentre of England's selection sagas, after an underwhelming run out of the Ford-Farrell axis against Samoa. It would be quite the tough take to say that the partnership 'failed' against Samoa, however the pair certainly underperformed, with England fans hopeful for the golden days that they brought in the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Six Nations.

As he is England's captain, we expect to see Owen Farrell start in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, and the Saracen would likely run out in his regular position of fly-half. We opt for Danny Care to accompany him at scrum-half, after the Harlequin added a burst of energy into the England team against Samoa, capped off by the match-winning try.

As nice as it has been to see Theo Dan get some early England reps in his young career, Borthwick needs to pick a tried and tested front row for Sunday. This also means to return the likes of Dan Cole and Joe Marler to the bench, as this weekend is 'do-or-die' high stakes knock-out rugby. Borthwick will likely pick what has been the go-to front row of the past 12 to 18 months.

The Bristol bears partners Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler are well versed in an aggressive start to a match. Fiji will be firing on all cylinders from the off, with the veteran talents of Cole and Marler better saved to get a scrummaging upper-hand in the matches latter stages. Jamie George should start at hooker, as a quarter-final start in the two jersey would be too much responsibility to drop on Dan or Jack Walker, so early in their young England careers.

Keep Dan on the bench, as the Saracen has been making a steady habit of strong replacement run-outs as George's understudy. Dan is also more than capable of covering for George if he's forced off early, with Saracens victory in the 2023 Premiership Final presenting this best under the bright lights of Twickenham.

Without a doubt the easiest area of England's team to predict, the engine room of the scrum should once again be the partnership of Ollie Chessum and Maro Itoje. This duo have grown into England best second row pairing, with Chessum especially benefiting from Itoje's tutelage on the international stage. Chessum's key score against Samoa kicked England into gear for an eventual yet narrow win, with more needed from Itoje against this weekend's Pacific Island opponents.

Itoje needs one big performance to re-capture that fire. We have not seen the Saracen hit top gear yet in the competition, but he certainly came close to it in the opening weekend's victory against Argentina. A big performance from the lock would lift his teammates, as he can utilise his talents to disrupt the attacking momentum of the free-flowing Fijians.

The back-row will be more of the same, with the top performing flankers being Courtney Lawes and Ben Earl. We've chosen the two hard-hitters to un out at six and seven, with Billy Vunipola expectant to slot in at number eight against Fiji. Tom Curry drops to the bench in our predictions, with Borthwick ready to utilise his skillset anywhere across the back-row.

England are lucky to have a back-row of not strictly position specialists (outside of Vunipola). Curry could well come on for either man in the back three, and re-jig the sytem for a strong end to proceedings this Sunday. Lawes had his 100th test match spoilt by Fiji last Summer, as Simon Raiwalui's side recorded their historic upset. The Northampton Saints man will present his regular cool and composed demeanour, but the internal fire will be burning bright for this weekend's World Cup quarter-final.

16. Theo Dan

17. Joe Marler

18. Dan Cole

19. David Ribbans

20. Tom Curry

21. Alex Mitchell

22. George Ford

23. Marcus Smith