Steve Borthwick shrugs off underdogs tag as England face daunting Rugby World Cup semi-final
England rode out a late Fiji rally to prevail 30-24 in Marseille, and book a sixth World Cup semi-final.
The Red Rose men have now won five matches in a row for the first time since 2021 and will face South Africa in Paris on Saturday night.
Fiji outscored England three tries to two, including two scores in four minutes that turned the second-half on its head, but Owen Farrellâs five penalties, one drop-goal and one conversion proved the difference.
Asked whether England will be content to be underdogs in their imminent last-four battle, Borthwick said: âI donât really care what other people think of us, I care about the development of the team.
âWhat I sense here is a group of supporters that are behind this team, and theyâve been behind this team since the start of the tournament. I think the crowd were brilliant tonight.â
England lost three of their four warm-up matches, notably 30-22 to Fiji at Twickenham on August 26 – their first-ever defeat by the Pacific Islanders.
Borthwick always insisted England would be ready for the World Cup, despite their miserable form of winning just three in nine matches under the new boss before heading to France. And now the Red Rose head coach clearly feels vindicated by his faith in Englandâs development.
âI said the team would be ready for September 9 (Englandâs first match); the team was ready for September 9,â said Borthwick.
âAnd the teamâs built through the tournament, I said this is a team and squad packed full of talented players who perform on the big occasion and they have performed on the big occasion.
âI get to work with a fantastic group of players that really improves this team.â
Farrellâs 20-point contribution cemented Englandâs progress to the last four, despite Fiji drawing level from a 24-10 deficit.
Ben Earlâs 50-metre break teed up Farrellâs final penalty to kill the contest, leaving the Red Rose captain to praise his Saracens teammate.
âBen Earlâs obviously growing and growing as a player, but itâs no surprise to me,â said Farrell.
âIâve been his teammate now for a long time now, and seeing how hungry he is, and how much he wants the ball and wants to get involved when the game matters. And Iâve seen that obviously for the club for a while now, and weâre seeing it here.
âAnd on days like today, it probably doesnât feel as right to pick out individuals as much, because as I said itâs not just a team performance but a whole squad one. But he certainly played a big part in it.
âWeâre very pleased to find a way to win the game again today. I think the teamâs done an excellent job of that over the group stages, and now weâre in a big knockout game, so very pleased.
âThe effort that the full squad thatâs gone into this week has made it an enjoyable week and a week where weâve all gone after it together. That will continue now into next week.â
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