England v Fiji Rugby World Cup 2023 predictions & betting tips

Racing Post

14 October 2023

England v Fiji Rugby World Cup 2023 predictions & betting tips

Where to watch England v Fiji

You can watch England v Fiji in the Rugby World Cup on ITV1 at 4pm on Sunday

Match prediction & best bet

Under 22.5 first-half points
2pts 5-6 Betfair, Paddy Power

England to win by one to 12 points
1pt 13-8 bet365

Bet on England v Fiji here and get £40 in Rugby World Cup free bets from Paddy Power

England suffered a shock loss to Fiji in August and look set to approach this quarter-final with a measured performance and can come out of it with a narrow win.

England v Fiji betting odds

England 4-11
Fiji 11-4
Draw 22-1

England v Fiji: head-to-head stats

Recent meetings These teams have met eight times, England winning seven including both World Cup meetings, in 1999 and 2015

Last matchFiji stunned England at Twickenham just last August in a World Cup warm-up with a 30-22 victory

England v Fiji matchday preview

Any positive vibes England were feeling about landing a Rugby World Cup quarter-final against a tier-two team will have been marred by the memory of their 30-22 defeat to the Fijians in a Twickenham warm-up just two months ago.

That result was a true low point in a disappointing year for the Red Rose, and although they have turned it around with four wins out of four in their pool, they struggled to overcome Samoa last time out to set alarm bells ringing again.

There are mitigating factors in both defeats - Owen Farrell was missing for the Twickenham loss but is back at fly-half for this one, while a drop-off in performance was perhaps to be expected in England's final pool match with top spot already secured.

On top of that, Fiji have not only lost fly-half Caleb Muntz, who was ruled out for the tournament having played in the Twickenham success, but back-up Teti Tela is now also injured so Vilimoni Botitu starts in the unfamiliar number ten shirt.

Fiji's two great strengths are their breakdown play, where flanker Levani Botia in particular has been an absolute menace at turning over opposition ball, and their backline, where they are blessed with dangerous and runners who can break defences with offloads and clean breaks.

That dual threat leaves England in a bit of a tactical quandary. They have kicked a lot of ball in recent matches but will be wary of giving up possession to Fiji's back three, while looking to slow the game and build on their forward dominance may leave them vulnerable at the breakdown.

A set-piece platform will be crucial though and England's concern in the early stages will be to get the basics right, to ensure accuracy and keep a lid on the game.

They did that to an extent in the defeat at Twickenham, and even though Jonny May's ninth-minute try gave them a solid early lead, the score at the break was 8-3 and this game may be similarly slow to open up.

England have conceded only three tries at the tournament, fewer than any other team, and kept their line intact until the 79th minute against Argentina when down to 14 men for most of the match.

Fiji's confidence after their successes over England and Australia must have taken a dent after first they had to fight back from a 9-0 half-time deficit to beat Georgia 17-12, and then lost their final pool match to Portugal, a team who had never before won a World Cup match.

The stakes are high and there is sure to be a lot of tension so the best betting approach looks to be backing a low-scoring first half and a narrow England win. Apart from a rout against tournament debutants Chile, England's attack has not fired at this tournament and they look set to play with a degree of caution. But with a second playmaker in Marcus Smith at full-back they should create the better chances.

Englandform

After a poor warm-up campaign England have won all four pool matches at this tournament but struggled to overcome Samoa last time out.

Fijiform

Fiji have beaten England and Australia in the last two months and went close against Wales, but have not lived up to those standards in their last two pool matches, a narrow win over Georgia and defeat to Portugal.

England v Fiji teams

England: Marcus Smith; Jonny May, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, George Martin, Billy Vunipola, Danny Care, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence

Fiji: Ilasaia Droasese; Vinaya Habosi, Waisea Nayacalevu, Josua Tuisova, Semi Radradra; Vilimoni Botitu, Frank Lomani; Eroni Mawi, Tavita Ikanivere, Luke Tagi, Isoa Nasilasila, Albert Tuisue, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Levani Botia, Viliame Mata.
Replacements:Sam Matavesi, Peni Ravai, Mesake Doge, Meli Derenalagi, Vilive Miramira, Simione Kuruvoli, Iosefo Masi, Sireli Maqala

England v Fiji team news

England: Owen Farrell moves to fly-half from inside centre so George Ford drops to the bench, while Marcus Smith starts at full-back

Fiji: Fly half Teti Tela so Vilimoni Botitu starts at number ten. Danger man Semi Radrada moves from centre to the wing.

Make the most of your £40 Rugby World Cup free bet: all of our England v Fiji Tips

With Paddy Power giving away £40 in Rugby World Cup 2023 free bets, you might feel spoilt for choice. Here are some betting tips for the England v Fiji match that you may want to consider:

England to win by 8-14 points @ 3-1with Paddy Power
Under 22.5 first-half points @ 5-6with Paddy Power
England penalty first scoring play @ 2-1with Paddy Power

*Note that these odds are subject to change

Grab a £40 Paddy Power Rugby World Cup free bet on England v Fiji

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Well, you can follow these simple steps outlined below to grab your £40 free bet to place on England v Fiji, during the Rugby World Cup 2023 on Sunday. It's fast, secure and straightforward.

Head over to Paddy Power through this link and click the Join button on their homepage
Create your username and password
Make a deposit of £10 or more using a card & place a bet on a sportsbook market with odds of 1-2 or greater
You will be rewarded with £40 of free bet tokens added to your balance

Paddy Power Rugby World Cup 2023 betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of the Rugby World Cup 2023 betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.