England v Fiji: Three duels to watch in RWC quarter-final 3

The third of this weekend’s four Rugby World Cup quarter-finals sees 2003 champions England – who have reached the last eight for the ninth time in 10 tournaments – tackle Fiji, who have progressed to this stage for the third time, and the first since 2007.

The Test will take place at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille and will kick off at 5pm South African time.

RUGBY WORLD CUP | Live scoring: England v Fiji

RUGBY WORLD CUP DUELS TO WATCH IN QUARTER-FINAL 3

DUEL 1: BACK-ROW GRAFTERS

Two of the unsung heroes for both sides have been their number eights. Ben Earl stepped into the fray for the banned Billy Vunipola in England’s opening win over Argentina and has played more minutes for his country than anyone during the pool stage. He leads the team for carries (37) and tackles (44), and is also joint-third for defenders beaten (10) and line breaks (3).

Fiji’s Viliame ‘Bill’ Mata is renowned for his flamboyant offloading game but he has also got through a power of work at this tournament with 44 carries, half of them on the gainline.

REMINDER: Team sheets, venues, kick-off times for Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

DUEL 2: WING WIZARDS

Wing Jonny May is second on England’s all-time list of try-scorers with 36, but he is still chasing his first try in this tournament, after three starts in the pool stages. England fans looking for a good omen may recall he scored twice in their RWC 2019 quarter-final win against Australia.

Semi Radradra began this World Cup at inside-centre and suffered the agony of dropping what could have been a match-winning pass in the final seconds against Wales, but has subsequently started two games on the left wing. Fiji will be looking to bring his formidable ball-carrying threat into play at every opportunity on Sunday.

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DUEL 3: SCRUM-HALVES WITH A RUNNING THREAT

Alex Mitchell, like May, was not even part of England’s original 33-man RWC squad but has usurped the vastly more experienced Ben Youngs and Danny Care to claim the number nine shirt, offering a running threat as well as accurate service. 

Frank Lomani has been vying with Simione Kuruvoli at scrum-half for Fiji but Lomani’s sniping runs, steadying influence and goalkicking prowess have given him the nod for the Marseille encounter.