The talking is nearly over.
England will finally get their World Cup campaign started under the Friday night lights of Twickenham when they take on Fiji.
Contests between these two at England’s HQ would usually struggle to fill the 82,000-seater arena to the gills, but there will not be a spare seat in the house for this one.
England go in to the match knowing it’s a must-win before they take on Wales and Australia in the matches that will likely shape this pool, but the Fijians have danger men throughout the side capable of upsetting their hosts.
Just ask Wales, who came a cropper against the Islanders in their 2007 pool after trying to beat the Fijians at their own game.
Match details
Date: Friday, September 18
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. EST
Venue: Twickenham
TV Info: UK, ITV1; US, Universal Sports; Australia, Fox Sports; NZ, SkySport; South Africa, SuperSports
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only)
History weighs heavily in favour of the Red Rose brigade. England have played Fiji on five occasions and won them all, per espn.co.uk. The most recent was in 2012 at Twickenham, and it was their biggest win, a 54-12 thumping. There are six men from the starting England side that day who line up again for this tournament opener.
Last five games
But the Fijian side is likely to be stuffed with more talent than three years ago. They are without Top 14 star Napolioni Nalaga, but the team still boasts the considerable talents of Bath-bound scrum-half Niko Matawalu and Bordeaux-Begles full-back Metuisela Talebula, as well as skipper Akapusi Qera, who will be remembered fondly by Gloucester fans for his stint in their No. 7 jersey.
Lineups
England: Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt, Jonny May, George Ford, Ben Morgan, Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood, Geoff Parling, Courtney Lawes, Dan Cole, Tom Youngs, Joe Marler
Fiji: Metuisela Talebula, Waisea Nayacalevu, Vereniki Goneva, Gabrieli Lovobalavu, Nemani Nadolo, Ben Volavola, Nikola Matawalu, Campese Ma'afu, Sunia Koto Vuli, Manasa Saulo, Api Ratuniyarawa, Leone Nakarawa, Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Akapusi Qera, Sakiusa Masi Matadigo
Players to watch:
Jonathan Joseph
Bath’s twinkle-toed centre made a dazzling re-start to his England career in the 2015 Six Nations. The 24-year-old got off the mark with his trademark step that earned him just enough space to wriggle over against Wales in Cardiff, and he followed that up with an impressive brace against Italy.
Joseph’s form secured him the No. 13 jersey for the World Cup, albeit with the only contender emerging as the untried Henry Slade following the banishment of Manu Tuilagi.
Joseph will be the man England may need to unlock tight defences in this tournament, but it could be his own rearguard qualities that come under the spotlight first.
If Fiji stick to their traditional philosophy, they will look to move the ball away from the contact area and bring their menacing back three players into the game as often as possible.
Joseph’s defensive alignment and communication with those inside and outside him must be spot on to avoid being cut to ribbons by the big men thundering his way.
Nemani Nadolo
At 6'5" and over 19 stone, no wonder giant back Nemani Nadolo has been tagged the modern day Jonah Lomu. He was in fine try-scoring form for the New Zealand based franchise the Crusaders in this year’s Super Rugby competition and has a phenomenal record at international level, per Gerard Meagher in the Guardian:
"A rare breed of wing who also kicks the odd goal, Nadolo has failed to score points in only four of his 19 Fiji appearances, running in 15 tries, while he scored all the points in Fiji’s 17-13 defeat to Wales last autumn during his side’s most recent trip to the UK."
Had Nadolo been around in the days of Lomu, he may well have had a similar impact on the English as the giant All Black in that 1995 semi-final.
He will tower over and heavily outweigh the wings Stuart Lancaster has chosen, but he can also play in the midfield, where his presence will put Brad Barritt’s famed defence through a rigorous examination.
Prediction:
England 43-12 Fiji
Odds
England 1/19
Fiji 28/1
Draw 66/1
*Odds via oddschecker
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2563014-england-vs-fiji-preview-live-stream-tv-info-for-rugby-world-cup-2015-game
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