“There’s always belief" - Steve Borthwick and Ellis Genge reflect on Fiji victory and anticipate 'very best' from All Blacks

Tuesday, 11 November 2025 at 10:44

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By Jon Page

Following England’s 38-18 victory over Fiji at Allianz Stadium, Head Coach Steve Borthwick and starting Co-captain Ellis Genge addressed the media to discuss the impact of the bench on the result, England’s strength in depth, and much more.

The first 60 minutes of England v Fiji was an incredibly close affair, before the firepower of England’s bench inspired them to score 17 unanswered points in the final quarter, taking the match well out of the Flying Fijians’ grasp. Borthwick was quick to credit England’s game management, as well as their ability to pull away in the final 20 minutes despite the x-factor dotted throughout the Fijian lineup.

"A tough, physical game against a team packed full of pace, power and skill. You saw as soon as they got any space that they could score and make line breaks from just about anywhere. The players did really well throughout the game I thought, managing it, understanding it was going to be tight and then finding the ability to accelerate and convert the opportunities at the end."

The match saw England leading by only one point as the whistle blew for half-time, and they would have gone back to the changing rooms behind had it not been for an Immanuel Feyi-Waboso try just before the 40-minute mark. Regarding his side’s slow start, Genge highlighted Fiji’s line-breaking and offloading ability, as well as indicating that their position of ninth in the World Rugby rankings is not reflective of the star power available to their opponents on matchday.

"They're a high offload team, I thought we did well to get back behind the ball when they made line breaks, they're a team that are full of absolute mavericks and have got lightning bolts from just about anywhere. I play with Kalaveti Ravouvou and Bill (Viliame) Mata who are incredible players.

Sometimes we get a bit misled by the fact that Fiji don't necessarily rank that high in the rankings, but the players in their team are absolutely amazing. For us to do what we did in the first half I thought we did well to keep them within that sort of score and then we spoke about in the week that fourth quarter, just finishing well, and I was really proud of how the boys did."

The impact of the bench in rugby has grown exponentially since 2016, with Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok ‘Bomb Squad’ and former England Head Coach Eddie Jones’ ‘Finishers’ popularising the use of the bench as momentum shifters, as opposed to just replacements. With this in mind, Borthwick highlighted the closeness of the afternoon’s other fixtures, such as Scotland v All Blacks, to illustrate how finishing strongly is now an essential component to success in test rugby.

"I think you've seen how in Test matches, the margins are so small, and each one is going into the final quarter of the game within just a score or two. You saw the games earlier on in the afternoon and while I didn't watch them, I've read reports and updates that both of those games were fairly tight in the final quarter of the game. So understanding the fitness, the players being able to go 80 minutes, the impact of the bench and the composure and resilience, I think those are important components to ensure you finish the game as you want to."

On his first England appearance in two years, Henry Arundell showed his lethal speed off the bench to sprint past two Fiji players and score a try with 10 minutes to go. When quizzed about his impact, Borthwick highlighted the competition and strength in depth available in England’s back three, which includes the aforementioned Arundell, as well as Tom Roebuck, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Freddie Steward, Cadan Murley, Marcus Smith and the returning Elliot Daly.

"We've got a number of players now with pace on edges, wing is a really competitive position. Hopefully Tom Roebuck will be back fit this week and is available for selection, we will find out early in the week and there's a real mix. That's the exact kind of tough decisions you want as a head coach."

Following victory over Fiji, England are now on a nine-game win streak, having not lost since the Six Nations opener against Ireland. Despite this, Genge was quick to point out how England’s belief is not only influenced by their wins, highlighting the development of England’s mentality as a squad. He was also quick to shift the focus from the win over Fiji to next week’s game against the All Blacks, who beat England narrowly on three occasions in 2024.

"To be honest, there's always belief, irrespective of if we win or not. We went through a bit of a tough period, casting my mind back a few years, for everyone from the outside the walls are closing in but within the squad, internally, we plan for this, we plan to win games. It doesn't always go that way, it can be the toss of a coin sometimes but we're obviously over the moon to have won nine in a row but it gets very tough next week against New Zealand who are one of the best sides in the world, so we look forward to that."

Borthwick was keen to stress that there had been no tunnel vision by his side regarding the All Blacks’ visit next week, and that the priority of the last two match weeks was spent with the sole focus on beating that weekend’s opponent. He also took the time to express his praise for the Fijian Drua, the Fiji Rugby Union’s Super Rugby side, on developing Fiji as a much more competitive team.

“I think it's been about beating Australia and beating Fiji, not preparing for anything else. The players will recover now and then on Monday we’ll start preparing for the game against New Zealand next Saturday. That's the way we approach it on a week by week basis. You look at that Fiji team, the way Ellis just described the players is spot on, isn't it, and the talent they have.

You see the impact the Fiji Drua has had. You see the improvements in their set piece, improvements in their kicking game. Before we move on from this game, you look at it, you see that's a team that was in the (2023 World Cup) quarter finals, and it was a tight quarter final a couple of years ago. If they continue their development, the impact the Drua is having upon them as well, you wouldn't be surprised if they are challenging for top four in Rugby World Cup semi finals. They're that good, I think they will be that good. So, really pleased with that one today. So we'll make sure we mark that tonight.”

Fiji have developed significantly over the last 10 years, having beaten Tier 1 opposition nine times since 2015, including a famous win over England at Allianz Stadium in 2023. Their ability to not just compete, but consistently win games, in tandem with their exciting offloading and brutal collisions, make any fixture a brilliant spectacle, as alluded to by Borthwick.

“I think it's terrific. I think over the last few years, the gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 has closed considerably, we saw that in the last World Cup. Whilst I didn't watch the Ireland and Japan game today, I think 65/68 minutes, I was told there was only 10 or 12 points in it, so the margins are small. I think having teams like Fiji coming to Twickenham and playing the style of rugby they do, it's brilliant. I think whilst it was a bit stop-start at times in the first half, I think people at the ground today would have enjoyed that game.”

Following Chandler Cunningham-South’s first test start at 8, Borthwick applauded his performance at the base of the scrum, before complimenting the embarrassment of riches in the back row Cunningham-South is contending with, such as Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock and Jack Kenningham vying for just three places in the starting lineup.

“I enjoyed what he did and again, we've talked about wing already, but the back row is another one of those positions where there's lots of competition for places, which is terrific. I think the most pleasing thing, whilst everyone's competing for places, is it's a collaborative competition. The team is first. That's the most important thing.”

Last year England struggled for direction when their then-captain Jamie George left the field at the 60-minute mark, often losing games in the final quarter. Today, Captain Maro Itoje was left on the bench for a majority of the game, and Borthwick heaped praise on Co-captain Ellis Genge and Vice-captain Jamie George for steering the side to victory. Vice-captains Ollie Chessum and Fraser Dingwall also supported them throughout, ensuring leadership responsibilities are shared as England continue to develop.

“I was really pleased with the way our leaders were in the game. The way Ellis has led all week has been terrific. The way he led through the first two thirds of the game was excellent. And I feel having a number of leaders with Jamie George there, the impact he had as well. I feel that we've got a growing density of leadership within this team, which is another strength that's developing.”

Last year England lost to the All Blacks three times, but they only lost those games by a combined margin of ten points, showing the incredibly close nature of those clashes. Ultimately Genge believes that England were capable of beating the All Blacks last year, even though they could not get the result, and despite his belief in his team, Genge acknowledges the All Blacks’ fantastic form and the stern challenge that awaits England next week.

“I think we were well equipped then, to be honest, and as you said, they're very narrow defeats. And as I alluded to earlier, sometimes games come down to a split decision or toss of a coin. But all I know is that New Zealand are at their best at the moment, and yeah, I can't wait to play against them this week.”