Rugby Union
Henry Pollock scores hat-trick as England end losing run with demolition of Fiji
Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Noah Caluori made try-scoring debuts and Henry Pollock plundered a hat-trick as clinical England ended their five-Test losing run by dismantling Fiji 73-8 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Steve Borthwick’s men bounced back from the 45-21 mauling by South Africa that opened their Nations Championship with an 11-try rout of dismal opposition who saw Simione Kuruvoli sent off for kicking Ellis Genge in first-half overtime.
Fiji trailed 35-3 when Kuruvoli departed, with South African-born Van Rensburg among the try scorers just 218 seconds after coming on as an HIA replacement for Henry Slade and three days after qualifying for England on residency grounds.
The onslaught intensified in the second half even though Borthwick had emptied his bench, with 19-year-old rookie Caluori touching down in the 65th minute and the rapid Pollock, another replacement, completing his hat-trick in the closing seconds.
Fin Smith was the focal point of an attack that produced some eye-catching tries after Fiji had been softened up by the scrum and maul and was named man of the match.
Relieved of the burden of their losing run, England head to Argentina for the climax to their July tour with renewed purpose but the Pumas at Santiago del Estero will prove a far sterner test.
So often dangerous foes, on this occasion Fiji were overwhelmed in every department with their feeble defence and weak set-piece particular areas of concern.
They have given England plenty of problems in recent times, most notably in their seismic upset of 2023, but this team folded with surprising ease and the result was effectively put to bed inside half an hour.
English scrum and maul dominance were quickly established and once Marcus Smith had begun the scoring with the help of a kind bounce off the corner flag, Jamie George was driven over by his pack.
Fin Smith was kicking for touch at every opportunity to launch the line-out maul but there were also encouraging flourishes in attack from the Northampton fly-half.
Fiji already showed signs of tiring and their defence gifted England’s next two tries, with Guy Pepper and Van Rensburg storming through where there should have stood a wall of white shirts.
Marcus Smith’s dancing feet initiated the next touch down for Atkinson and the Islanders’ problems grew when Kuruvoli was given his marching orders.
Fiji’s first meaningful attack did not arrive until early in the second half and Tevita Ikanivere touched down as a result, but England restored their authority when quick hands set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for a diving try into the corner.
Pollock won the foot race for Ben Earl’s grubber, Slade slid over and then Caluori dived across the whitewash as the tries piled up.
Pollock’s pace and the vision of Slade made England’s 10th score possible, and as full-time approached Pollock switched on the afterburners for his third to put Fiji out of their misery.
