England face Fiji in the Nations Championship today, looking to ease some of the growing pressure on Steve Borthwick.
It’s round two of the new international competition in rugby union, with England desperately seeking to end an alarming run of defeats in 2026.
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Their 12-match winning run now feels like a very distant memory after a worst-ever Six Nations campaign and last weekend’s 45-21 demolition by reigning world champions South Africa in Johannesburg.
England have lost five Tests in a row to see more questions asked of Borthwick, who retains the backing of the RFU but will be expected to turn things around sooner rather than later with the World Cup in Australia on the horizon in just 15 months’ time.
Surely nothing less than a win will do against Fiji, with a tough trip to Argentina also coming up to close out the summer portion of this inaugural championship, before the autumn visits of Australia, Japan and New Zealand to Twickenham.
Borthwick has brought in Guy Pepper and Henry Slade following that bruising and ill-disciplined loss to the Springboks at Ellis Park, with Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori and George Kloska all poised to earn their England debuts off the bench.
Fiji are certainly a match for any team on their day, showcasing their usual style of scintillating attacking rugby initially but then being bested by resurgent Wales in the second half as they went down 39-24 in Cardiff last time out.
Interim head coach Senirusi Seruvakula has made nine changes for another “home” game for his side that actually takes place at the Hill Dickinson Stadium - home of Premier League football club Everton - in Liverpool.
Fiji are playing their Nations Championship home matches in the UK partly for commercial reasons, but also because their national stadium in Suva is not at the required level.
How to watch Fiji vs England rugby
TV channel: Fiji vs England is being broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV, with coverage beginning at 1:20pm BST on ITV1 ahead of a 2:10pm kick-off.
It is part of another bumper day of Nations Championship rugby on the channel, sandwiched between Ireland’s clash with Japan and Scotland’s trip to South Africa.
The action kicks off with New Zealand vs Italy and Australia vs France, while it concludes with Argentina vs Wales on ITV4.
Live stream: The matches are also available to stream live online via the ITVX website and app, which is free with a registration.
Live blog: Follow the game as it happens with Standard Sport’s live blog.
