"Historic Defeat" - 8 Things We Learned: England 22-30 Fiji

England end their Summer Nations Series with just one win in four matches, with today's defeat to Fiji presenting a lot of talking points, as Borthwick was forced to shake-up his side. England came into the match with a growing list of absentees, as high profile injuries and suspensions had a detrimental effect on today's performance.

Despite Jonny May's try building an 8-0 lead after just nine minutes, England were unable to ever establish a foothold in this game. The sharpshooting kicks of Fijian fly half Caleb Muntz kept the Pacific Islanders in the match, before they took the lead for the first time two minutes into the second half. Tries from Waisea Nayacalevu, Vinaya Habosi and Simione Kurivoli tipped the match in the Fijians favour, with a stunned Twickenham Stadium emptying out before the final whistle.

Here are the eight main talking points, from England's 22-30 defeat to Fiji.

Steve Borthwick's men are out on the brink at such a crucial time. England's first match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup is two weeks away, and Argentina look like the favourites heading into the opening clash in Marseille. After England took their heaviest ever home defeat, with France running out a 53-10 Twickenham landslide in the 2023 Six Nations, they have today lost to Fiji, for a historic first time.

Fiji entered today's contest with an underdog asterisk, of being a 'tier two' rugby nation. However, this victory could well have repercussions throughout the international rugby landscape, with upsets like this being significant in the argument against the bi-annual ringfenced 'World League' for the Six Nations and SANZAAR sides. Georgia's similar victory over Wales in the 2022 Autumn Nations present the hunger that tier two nations have, with the upcoming Rugby World Cup providing another stage for such upsets.

England take on Argentina and Japan in their first two matches in Pool D. There is no denying the threat that Los Pumas bring. Argentina recorded their own historic win over England last Autumn at Twickenham, and have continued to improve, with England's form slumping downhill. The Pumas have also recently recorded victories over the All Blacks (2022 Rugby Championship),

Argentina also secured a win over Australia in the 2023 Rugby Championship, and took the Springboks to the wire for a narrow one-point loss (22-21). Japan are no strangers to providing Rugby World Cup upsets, after the Brave Blossoms achieved unexpected wins over South Africa in 2015 and Ireland in 2019. Both sides present serious threats to England, who need to strengthen the foundations to avoid pool stage losses and an early World Cup exit.

Steve Borthwick opted for a relatively untested midfield partnership of Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence, in a game plan that seemed to utilise brute force against the Fijian centre channels. Despite Lawrence being hailed as the successor to Tuilagi's shirt following impressive performances in the 2023 Six Nations, the duo shared the pitch with gain-line breaks being the order of the day.

The pair set off with heavy carries from the get go, with Lawrence making a great run into the back-field after catching George Ford's miss-pass after six minutes. Tuilagi's second carry saw him turned over by the fired-up Fijians, yet the Sale Shark avoided embarrassment with the referee calling play back for England's penalty.

As well as hitting hard on the carry, the pair worked relentlessly in defence, as Fiji threw all they had at the centres. Tuilagi caught a stinger on his shoulder, after a collision rumbled through Twickenham as loud as the thunder which followed the strikes of lightning in the sky. Tuilagi shrugged off the knock, to the relief of every England fan in attendance. Tuilagi was also let off for a missed tackle, which saw Fijian winger Selestino Ravutaumada skip away on a nice break.

Ravutaumada then shipped the ball to Waisea Nayacalevu, with the Fijian captain going over to score. However, Tuilagi was again spared the error, with the try disallowed following a review for Ravutaumada's forward pass. However, once Fiji began to pull away with a 20-8 lead, Borthwick shuffled up his centres with the addition of Joe Marchant for Ollie Lawrence.

The Stade Francais man had an immediate impact, as he upped the attacking tempo, and capped off his performance with a try to narrow the deficit. Tuilagi battled to the end, in a physical match that was suited to his strengths. Tuilagi performed better than Lawrence today, and was able to ride the collisions with the hard-hitting Fijians better than the Bath man. This centre partnership may now be put down to trial and error, with a significant shift taking place when Joe Marchant's arrived at Twickenham.

3. Borthwick's Returnee's: Can Alex Mitchell and Jonny May Make Monday's World Cup Squad?

The risk which comes with the Summer Nations Series so close to the Rugby World Cup, is that unfortunate injuries can throw a gameplan out the window. Steve Borthwick has been forced to adapt, and re-called Gloucester winger Jonny May and Northampton Saints scrum half Alex Mitchell to the fold, following untimely injuries to Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, and Jack van Poortvliet.

May marked his comeback with a hot start, as he crossed over to score England's first try of the match after just nine minutes of play. The Cherry and Whites star backed himself on his fabled left wing, and utilised his pace to run in after collecting a missed pass out wide. However, May's performance faltered in the second half. The winger was amongst the England defenders who missed their tackle attempts, as Ravutaumada and Nayacalevu side-stepped through England's crumbling defence.

Borthwick is hopeful for Daly's return for the clash with Argentina, however Watson's current injury status for the Rugby World Cup sees May as a contender for the trip to France. A similar thing could be said for Alex Mitchell, who by no means had a star-making performance. Yet with van Portvliet side-lined, the Saints man is back in the squad and got his first taste of action today. After being left out of the trip to Dublin, Mitchell led from the off for England's bruising encounter against Fiji. Given the nod for the nine jersey, Mitchell was picked over Danny Care, with the veteran Quin on the bench.

Mitchell did not have an immediate impact, and remained off the main stage whilst the thunderous collisions took the spotlight at Twickenham. He was fast to the break down, and despite taking a few heavy hits himself, was able to work through to supply George Ford with quick-ball. In a match that had few positive takeaways from an England perspective, Mitchell performed as well as his teammates, and did not look out of place.

As Steve Borthwick only selected Billy Vunipola as the sole specialist number eight, for his 33-man squad to head to France, questions were asked on his selection plans after the Saracen was sent off against Ireland. Vunipola will miss the Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina, with his StoneX teammate Ben Earl selected to slot into the number eight jersey for the clash with Fiji.

Earl offered a different flavour of number eight than that of Vunipola, as he did not carry as frequently as Vunipola did, with the crash ball responsibilities bestowed to England's centres. Earl offered a free-flowing utility unit in the back-row, and adapted well to his role at the back of the scrum. Earl was eager to make hits on the Fijians, and was blown up by the referee for his eagerness, catching him offside after 25 minutes.

He redeemed himself with a key tackle on Semi Radradra, as the centre looked to offload to a runner in space. This tackle seemed to be rather routine, but in actuality, Earl looked to have stopped a possible try scoring opportunity. Hard work that flew under the radar, this tackle personified Earl's first half performance. However, along with the rest of England, Earl's performance too slipped off when Fiji hit top gear. Earl missed a tackle on Vinaya Habosi, with the left winger slipping through his grasp to score Fiji's third try.

Earl narrowly missed out on a try, as he collected George Ford's cross field kick after 63 minutes. He was nailed by a perfectly timed tackle, and spilt the ball in contact. Despite wearing a different number, Earl did not differentiate his play in the loose too much from when he wore the seven shirt against Wales and Ireland. Albeit, he did not thrive as much as he did in the win over Gatland's side.

5. Courtney Lawes: Captain's Performance on his 100th England Cap

One of the few positives to take away from England, Courtney Lawes emptied the tank in his centurion test match for England. Awarded the captaincy in the extended suspension absence of Owen Farrell, Lawes commanded his side well from the start, yet admittedly ran out of steam, as the relentless Fijian fitness put miles on his match-day clock.

Lawes led well at the set-piece, and rode the tackles in the wind and rain. He battered his way through three Fijian tackle attempts, to make a threatening break on the eighteenth minute. Lawes was not as disruptive in the lineout as he was the last time out at Twickenham, when he and Itoje made Wales lineout time a nightmare. The conditions were a factor here, as easy line-out options were preferred when the heavens opened in South West London.

Lawes' match highlight was a great covering tackle on Lyon powerhouse Semi Radradra. The centre bulldozed his way through Max Malins, leaving his former Bristol teammate flat on the deck. Lawes covered the ground to bring the big man down, with his efforts resulting with a sore shoulder and a chat with the physio after 34 minutes. Lawes' leadership was on full display once his vice-captain Ellis Genge departed the pitch after just 50 minutes. Lawes took over sole leadership, and provided a level head to his men who tried to forge a comeback.

A positive sign, given that Owen Farrell is guaranteed to miss the matches against Argentina and Japan through suspension. However, Lawes was unable to generate the required fire from his colleagues, who collapsed under the pressure in the matches latter stages.

Jamie George was left out of the England squad for the first time in the 2023 Summer Nations Series, with his Saracens protégé Theo Dan given his first international test start at hooker. After making off-the-bench appearances throughout the Summer, Dan was put up against Northampton Saints front rower Sam Matavesi, in a contest that generated mixed results.

An early scrum saw England awarded a penalty, with Dan getting the slaps on the back from his teammates in the pack. However, following the early success at scrum-time, Dan's performance was hindered at the line-out, with the conditions playing a definite part with lightning striking overhead. England adapted their gameplan, and opted for rolling mauls, which again had a mixed bag of success.

In the loose, Dan provided England fans with some excitement, with his standout moment being a huge double tackle alongside Dan Cole. The Twickenham faithful then saw Jack Walker make a run out, with Borthwick testing out his depth in the number two jersey. The young Harlequin had a quieter game than he would have hoped, yet is an integral part of the squad and should be included for the trip to France.

7. Marcus Smith Shows Versatility at Fullback

After much speculation throughout the week, England fans witnessed Harlequins talisman Marcus Smith run out for his country in a new position. In what could be an end to the fly half selection saga, Smith came on for Freddie Steward at fullback and had an instant impact by scoring a try. Smith ran on to George Ford's chip over the defence, and was through to score under the posts to breath some hope into England's comeback ambitions.

Smith's involvement was limited due to his time on the pitch, and he did provide an enticing option for the number 15 jersey. Steward has long held the fullback position in Borthwick's eyes, yet the playmaking talents of Smith could well be utilised akin to how the All Blacks view Beauden Barrett and Damien McKenzie as fly half-come-full backs. Smith presented his talents from the boot with a neat grubber kick to pin Fiji in their corner after 62 minutes.

Another key involvement saw Smith carry the ball high to the line, in the phase prior to Joe Marchant's try. The Quins man was folded in half by a clattering Fijian double tackle, yet Smith had succeeded in his mission. He put his body on the line to draw the Fijians to him, leaving Marchant open on the right wing to score in the following phase of play. Commendable stuff from Smith, given how hard the Pacific Islanders were hitting, he'll certainly feel that in the morning.

After the suspensions to Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, another enforced ban following a high tackle could be on the cards. Despite not being awarded a yellow, or taking a trip to the buner, replacement England prop Joe Marler may have put his Rugby World Cup in jeopardy with a tackle on a Fijian ball carrier.

With Ben Earl chopping Albert Tuisue, Marler came in to re-enforce the tackle, yet the loosehead's shoulder made contact to the head of the Gloucester back-rower. Tuisue then departed Twickenham for a HIA, with an unwanted ban teetering on the horizon for the Harlequins prop.

TRIES: 3 (May 9', Smith 57', Marchant 68')

CONVERSIONS: 2 (Ford 57', 68')

PENALTIES: 1 (Ford 5')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS (BUNKERS): 0

RED CARDS: 0

15. Freddie Steward 14. Max Malins 13. Ollie Lawrence 12. Manu Tuilagi 11. Jonny May 10. George Ford 9. Alex Mitchell 1. Ellis Genge 2. Theo Dan 3. Dan Cole 4. Maro Itoje 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Courtney Lawes 7. Jack Willis 8. Ben Earl

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Jack Walker 17. Joe Marler 18. Will Stuart 19. David Ribbans 20. Lewis Ludlam 21. Danny Care 22. Marcus Smith 23. Joe Marchant

TRIES: 3 (Nayacalevu 43', Habosi 51', Kuruvoli 72')

CONVERSIONS: 3 (Muntz 43', 51' 72')

PENALTIES: 3 (Muntz 17', 56', 61')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS (BUNKERS): 1 (0) (Mawi 38')

RED CARDS: 0

FIJI STARTING XV: 15. Ilaisa Droasese 14. Selestino Ravutaumada 13. Waisea Nayacalevu 12. Semi Radradra 11. Vinaya Habosi 10. Caleb Muntz 9. Frank Lomani 1. Eroni Mawi 2. Sam Matavesi 3. Luke Tagi 4. Isoa Nasilasila 5. Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta 6. Albert Tuisue 7. Lekima Tagitagivalu 8. Viliame Mata

REPLACEMENTS: Zuriel Togiatama 17. Jone Korioduadua 18. Samu Tawake 19. Temo Mayanavanua 20. Vilive Miramira 21. Simione Kurivoli 22. Teti Tela 23. Kalaveti Ravouvou