Fiji Shake the World | The Rugby Pod React to Fiji’s Victory over England

[@PJSO]

I asked my Fijian mate which win meant more. The crusaders or Eng win and without hesitation he said the Crusaders game against the Drua was the best.

[@VKM33]

Absolutely - I was at that game and beating the mighty Crusaders is a far greater feat having won countless comps unlike wee eng

[@samoniel8263]

Makes me so happy to see my island nation come a long way. At the end of the day when it comes down to it..I think it's passion, hunger and love for the game. In fiji rugby is a golden ticket out of poverty, and yes we've got players that get paid a million pound a season but that doesn't matter, the boys aren't playing for themselves, they've got a whole rugby loving nation on their back not judging them but cheering them on with their small TV'S in the village with the whole village hudled in a tin house drinking kava and cheering....we fijians live in the moment, not worried about tomorrow, and thats fiji time. Even if we don't make it out of the pool stages in the world cup, thats alright, beating a tier 1 nation is enough, and enough to encourage our young boys and girls and give them motivation that, you don't have to settle for less, it can be done, you want to be a surgeon, it can be done, you want to be a lawyer, it can be done, you want to represent your country in sport, it can be done

[@Sir2ube]

Someone please share this with clowns in New Zealand The Breakdown show on how you take a beating like man. Respect.

[@Forkygolach1]

I love Andy's Steve Baldrick impressions!

[@garyambrosini1427]

He's getting better week by week

[@AntSudbury-tv3we]

Sack baldrick, now

[@-NemoMeImpuneLacessit]

Baldrick has a cunning plan....

[@Damomasts]

Combination of heritage players getting capped and regular exposure to top club rugby for Drua and Pasifika means Fiji and Samoa are on the up and up. England and Ireland were put up against it. Fiji got the result, Samoa should have got theirs. This is for real, Island rugby is gonna light up this and future world cups.

[@Luke77h]

As a South African I can tell we are scared of Fiji. We have what it takes to lift that cup again. It will be the team that digs deep and wants it the most seen so many predictions on the top 4.

[@kevinwillis6707]

freddie steward is not one of the best 15s in the world.

[@Bobbydyland]

Out of all of the 15s in the world, Freddie Stewart is definitely one of them.

[@Jackthompson01]

@@Bobbydyland Stop kidding yourself he's one of the best in the air in the world but thats about as far as it goes. Defence is shocking

[@CpnGoose]

​@@Jackthompson01 Wooosh

[@jamesm9995]

@@Jackthompson01mind your head mate.

[@Jackthompson01]

@@jamesm9995 my bad

[@doc7352]

Steward is nowhere near one of the top 15s in the world.

[@TrezenEN]

He is so slow.

[@Malky24]

​@@TrezenEN Glacial. Can't tackle to save his life either.

[@tombutcher3021]

OMG touredFiji in the late 90s. Carva was as trippy as hell. They story I have of the Fijian hospitality is amazing. We were around 16-17 all tripping balls on Carva and on a beach sitting around a fire while drying out the weed we just bought. Brilliant memories and lovely people. Even before we had a local game we shooed the local goats off the rugby field before we were taken apart in a touch game with absolute athletes.

[@jojiratulevu-rn5ts]

😅😅😅

[@Samizouza]

That's definitely Fiji for you, glad you had a great time back then 😅

[@amwilliams9483]

Love this show 😊

[@johncraig9011]

At the final whistle of the Fiji game I had tears in my eyes. Tears of pure joy. Go Bokke

[@RatuDilio]

Toso Viti Toso 🇫🇯🇫🇯🇫🇯💯💯💯👊👊👊🌍 " Cevukia Na Vuravura Qa Toso ".

[@petegarnett7731]

The Fijians have been playing good rugby for years. However, their national game is SEVENS and they have never made the same impact at 15 a side. This comes as no surprise to me.

[@hrep14]

It’ll be good when the RWC kicks off, then we should see where all the teams are really at. It’s where the good and bad performances really count.

[@dangibbons4668]

The only hope is that England are holding back, and will suddenly come to life against Argentina. If not, as I suspect to be more likely, I don’t see how this ‘pragmatic’ style is the way forward. As a spectacle it’s so boring, but moreover it’s not working! Fans would have more sympathy if they were falling asleep during scorelines of 12-3 but England were at least winning. Then the debate would be about entertainment vs results. But we can’t even have that conversation at the moment because England are losing. If the thinking is, “We’re still reeling from the World Cup final loss, when South Africa kicked and set-pieced us to death, and clearly that’s now the key to success so we’re going to play like that”, the problem is they don’t have the pack for it. SA have (arguably) the best forward offering going. How many England players would get picked in their pack? Maybe 1 or 2? So this gameplan of kicking to ‘apply pressure’, eek out penalties and hope they get a line out on the opposition 5 metre line, is not only dull (especially for all the fans that travel across the country and pay hundreds to visit Twickenham) but it’s not right for this team. Unless there’s a master plan for the Argentina game, they’d be better ripping up the playbook and trying to play from different parts of the field. It will be rough and ready but at least it will stump opposition coaches. Also, after losing 3 clubs, England fans deserve a bit of entertainment and excitement.

[@rkls5051]

Can be using the weather as an excuse 🤣 England got one free fry

[@kalinaceba2069]

$500/day. That's the amount the Fijian players are paid. So only $500 for that game compared to $10k, 20k or whichever amount the England players were paid for that game alone. Shock the world? You damn right man. Go Fiji Go.

[@expressoevangelism80]

£’s not $’s.

[@GWills-ys6rd]

Fiji were simply more cohesive and better prepared. England players are 100% accountable for their performance, they should have been better prepared for Fiji with all the data statistics available nowadays.

[@geoffhiggins742]

Who has the job of preparing them? Head coach, defence coach, attack coach, conditioning coach? Or maybe each individual player should get on Google and do it themselves. There is something very wrong with this, and the latter stages of the last regime. Excellent players have been reduced to a shambolic shadow of their former selves. I won't even go near the selection policies of Jones and Borthwick or we'd be here all bloody day.

[@lomaniderenalagi7388]

People forget about what Fiji Rugby has done for the Love of Rugby.. Fiji formed a team and toured South Africa evenen though there was a ban on South Africa Sport because they were fighting for equal Rights..

[@fraserposford144]

The decision to get rid of Eddie Jones a year out from a World Cup is looking worse and worse every day, especially when you consider how impressive Jones' World Cup record is. Part of me wants a group stage exit for England so there can be a factory reset. Have an England team that has the likes of Mitchell and Smith running the show, playing with the vision and ambition that this current team lacks. Borthwick is out of his depth as a head coach and so is his coaching staff unfortunately. Maybe in a few years time they'll be excellent coaches at this level but this feels like a few years too early, especially in the pressure cooker of the England setup.

[@Porkchop259]

Lol what part of Eddies played 5 lost 5 is England missing out on? The current mess sits directly at the RFUs feet, the people who wanted Jones gone wanted Robertson, the only people who wanted Borthwick are the RFU and people who did not want Jones gone anyway.

[@fraserposford144]

@@Porkchop259 Eddie's current record with the Wallabies has nothing to do with England. Eddie builds teams to peak for the World Cup and although 2022 was rough (like 2018), he was doing everything with 2023 in mind. Since he left, England have had to rip a lot of that up and start fresh and it's clear that the players are confused and lacking any kind of direction with the way they play. With Eddie's track record, he should've been allowed to see out the World Cup cycle but the RFU pressed the panic button too early and went for an inexperienced Borthwick, putting him and England in a worse situation than they had with Eddie.

[@2011hwalker]

Nah Eddie Jones england were dire from 2021-2022. Continually picking old timers from the previous generation. He has sowed the seeds of the current failure.

[@samwalters8734]

@@Porkchop259rubbish. People wanted Borthwick as a first choice and they got him. They wanted faz dropped and Smith at 10 which they got against France and England lost by their biggest margin ever at Twickenham. This is exactly what the armchair pundits asked for. EJ is looking vindicated with each passing week and never did anything worse than losing close games to good opposition imho, it was madness to sack him

[@fraserposford144]

@@2011hwalker he's still England's most successful coach in terms of win percentage who last year won another series down in Australia (only England coach to achieve this) and got a draw with the All Blacks. I felt with 2019's performance that he had credit in the bank to experiment and build the team up for 2023 yet the media and fans chased him out. Yes, some performances weren't good but England looked far more consistent and purposeful with him charge. More importantly, they scored more tries and conceded less than this current England team.

[@d.jparer5184]

I love it when people say "there's a famous boxing saying that goes like this..." and then just copy something that teddy atlas has said.

[@jeanmas4197]

Tier 3: Teams you beat by 60 points Tier 2: Teams you cannot beat by 60 points anymore and you better play your best against if you don't want to lose.

[@ben4216]

Its champing not chomping. I tell people this at least ten times a day. Great Video. RIP Gerard Murphy x

[@-skillz-4186]

Wow this podcast started off positively and then turned dark real quick😂😂😂

[@meEllson]

If Markus smith is the answer because he celebrates with a bit of passion then England fans are deluded with Goode. Poor everywhere, no identity of play, talent pool is awful down to the U’20s, premiership a mess, organisations look out for themselves. Shambles

[@johnbewley9166]

Jim l would definitely ditch the microphone 😅

[@jamesalexander4203]

Please can we have a whole episode of Goodey doing “borthwick” ?? Absolute gold…

[@gannon3578]

All I know is going by these last warmup games RWC gonna be very interesting Go the All Blacks 😂

[@cceffect]

It feels like 2015 again

[@andyp621]

England look clueless in attack and defense. We've always had a strong defense but at the moment there seems to be holes everywhere. The set piece is also struggling, mainly the scrum. The front row looks soft and for some reason the next generation are just not coming through so we need to rely on the older chaps who for some were finished at test level a few years ago. The backs look static because we are constantly kicking the ball away and giving away possession. Teams have worked out how to counter the high ball threat but we constantly still look to use it. It's clear Borthwick doesn't know his best team, which isn't really his fault as he's not been in the job long so he has to be given the benefit of the doubt for now. What a mess!!!

[@joeboonmusic4004]

The next generation is coming through if you look at the under 18s, they just need game time after the WC... And not damage limitation from a coach like borthwick.

[@expressoevangelism80]

I think Majo has been regulated out of his natural game? Time after time headlines were shouting as to how many penalties were being awarded against him. Certainly he has to play to the rules, and he’s not giving penalties away, but he’s not seeming to be there anyway⁉️

[@sshee179]

England are going to get absolutely demolished by Argentina.

[@rob.1]

Let's see. All the pressure is on Argentina. They will struggle with the favourites tag.

[@sshee179]

No pressure on argentina. More pressure on england to win a match.

[@Titanium351]

They only shook England, what a shame

[@samoniel8263]

And on another note, if you keep taking pacific islander overseas to play rugby and learn the game better, and those boys decide to play for their country saying no to the money tier 1 nations offer, I think that's dangerous and also refreshing for rugby, tides are turning, when a man does something not for money, but out of love, that makes him dangerous

[@UlyssesRyan-n1i]

England have quality players but their lack of a clear game plan is their biggest weakness. It’s no surprise their only spark was Marcus Smith’s individual brilliance

[@allistaircampbell9282]

England should call up Clive Woodward. He will rebuild a new team.

[@xargayo]

Goode can't get Eddie Jones out of his mind. Bet he dreams about him.

[@geoffhiggins742]

Yes Eddie has damaged a lot of rugby fans in his time. But more importantly he's damaged a few very good players too. Just my opinion obviously.

[@jingleballix]

On Wednesday, I put money on Fiji at 4-1.......FIJ were great against FRA, and ENG are completely ordinary.

[@eddietomasi6164]

We as Fijian beat England isn't it? 😅😅😅😅😅. Your a right brother. We sunrise the world. All this people a comment down below a not a man. Probably a all gay,😅😅😅😅

[@Alex-mj5dv]

Goodey looking like John Barclay more and more after the weight loss.. sorry John.

[@mcmustangno1567]

The stadium was half empty because the product was shite ffs

[@Poweroftouch]

Fiji was much better ,but they wasn't that good calm down mate .Fiji Wales game will be very tight game

[@MentasmUK]

Doing a disservice to the entertainment factor of rugby in the 90s there...

[@markdowhy3717]

🦾

[@rob.1]

Moan, moan, moan. Same old same old.

[@cro649]

"Freddie Steward one of the best 15s in the world." 😂😂😂😂 Don't make me laugh! Shaun Stevenson can't even get in the NZ squad and he's way ahead of Steward. England are massively overrated, overpaid and arrogant. Better 15s than Steward include: Beauden Barrett, Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, DMack, Stevenson, Piutau, Keenan, Kinghorn, Liam Williams, Ramos, Folau, Kellaway. There's more too.

[@foundfoundfound1]

english rugby spends all its time planning how to win matches without scoring tries. it seems offloading is a sackable offence.

[@esavavuira-bb4np]

Blah blah blah

[@HotBadBoyMagnifico]

Guys: 1.) There's something wrong with Courtney Lawes - I don't mean just physically, but mentally, spiritually. I watched him closely before the game, during the game, after the game. That raging hunger and drive we used to see in him is no longer there. 2.) The takeaway impression from the game is that Marcus Smith is a firecracker trying to play with lumps of wet laundry.

[@geoffhiggins742]

1. Dunno about that mate. 2. Very much so.

[@AdAstraStakePool]

As someone who grew up in Fiji, I thank you for giving credit to Fiji first before delving into England's issues. I've seen a lot of videos that credit Fiji as an afterthought. England rugby will be strong again. Every team has their ups and downs.

[@tombutcher3021]

Love Fiji and all respect. As an English supporter I think they have on average the best Wingers (not all) in the world. From our point of view this was not a shock. Love the fact they spread the ball giving players opportunities to express them selves. English wingers are frozen out of the games.

[@laitiatemo5054]

So the criteria now is that you win against a tier 1 team. The fact is changed to a tier 2 defeated a tier 2.😂😂😂

[@garethrichmond4388]

Absolutely Fiji with a set piece, a great scrum and a 10 who can knock them like that and great game management is both a beautiful and terrifying thing to see. They also played well against France the week before. There are unfortunately fans of every team (especially England) who always have the attitude that their lost the game because of their mistakes rather more than the other side won because they straight up played better. And Fiji played better than England it's as simple as that the better team on the field that day won. As a Wales supporter I'm a lot more worried about the game against Fiji than I am against Australia.

[@JKMeZmA]

It was so strange seeing people shocked that Fiji beat England. Of course some folks are still trying to be positive - I get that, I’m Scottish - but englands attacking strategy involves early phase kicking to players. That doesn’t generally work; but it gets even worse when you are kicking to a highly attacking minded Fijian back line who when have ball in hand, are lethal. Why are you giving them possession when the Fijians larger challenges involve ball retention and getting their set piece working to feed their attack. It’s very hard to understand what they thought would happen?

[@Smokiejoe679]

Spot on mate 🎯

[@JKMeZmA]

@bm8725 that’s fair man, I can totally see as per most things, the actual normal folks are much smarter and aware than pundits may give credit for

[@arserobinson7118]

Fiji are a tier 1 team now and a good one. I predicted Fiji by 15 points and I think it's only the wet weather that stopped this from happening.

[@eronivatuloka1096]

Wow, as a Fijian i am amazed at the amount of reaction videos to this game. It has really shook the rugby world.

[@garethrichmond4388]

Just wait until Fiji beat England again in QF. Hopefully you knock Australia out in the pool stages this time instead of Wales.

[@Gilescowdemdem]

Fiji also did all of that with Botia, arguably their most influential player, off the pitch and rested. As an Englishman I couldn't be happier to see it clicking for them and just hope more money comes into their union to develop players.

[@davidpeters3857]

Tuisova too

[@utterlyj1277]

Ya Botia is an insane player, the fact they didn't need him is scary

[@Gilescowdemdem]

@@davidpeters3857 yep, completely forgot he wasn't on the pitch. Wales are in for a serious game.

[@SteveDonaldson-r5k]

Totally agree; how long have we waited for Fiji to play 15 man rugby? I love this game, it's how I can be an England fan and still get excited about this match.

[@IAMJEFFREY-cw9ns]

Tuisova was absent too.

[@dollarthief9665]

England should have followed New Zealand's lead by announcing that their underperforming head coach would be replaced after the world cup. Instead they fired a coach renowned for having his team's peak at world cups and gave the job to an unproven coach without enough time to realistically challenge for rugby's biggest prize.

[@kevinwillis6707]

jones should have been sacked 2 years ago, he wasnt the answer, neither is borthwick, if the RFU have any sense they will snap up keiran crowley after this world cup, he has worked wonders for italy and inexplicably the italian federation have decided not to renew his contract.

[@dollarthief9665]

@@kevinwillis6707 I don't disagree that Jones wasn't the answer, in fact I'm implying that he wasn't by suggesting that he be let go after the world cup. I'm arguing that, with his world cup track record, they should have just backed him rather than throw Borthwick, or anyone else, in at the deep end and waste a world cup opportunity.

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

Saffa here, it was too late to fire Eddie, you guys should have given the new coach another 12 months

[@tombutcher3021]

Sorry but Eddie needed to go and borthwick was the wrong pick. You can't state the decision was a poor one when the replacement was a shocking.

[@Brucemcleod2345]

@@kevinwillis6707 Bring back Eddie. Watch Australia perform this RWC. He knows how to get teams motivated for the big tournaments

[@TheShireshark]

I'm sure it must have been mentioned somewhere but I honestly haven't seen it, but these new laws that are being introduced to lower the tackle height must play into the way the South Sea Island teams play. Goodey mentioned about their off loading game which should be easier when the tackle laws make smothering the ball in the tackle almost impossible. Are Fiji, Tonga and Samoa finally going to be able to take on the tier 1 sides consistently? I'd like to think so.

[@davidkelly790]

Lets hope so. As a Scotland fan used to watching us play in the 6 nations and the usual autumn test opponents (as good as they are) it's always a treat to be able to see the pacific island sides, the way they approach the game, running, offloads etc - They are a joy to watch at times. I really hope the gap between the tier 2 teams and the tier 1 teams gets smaller and smaller. Can't wait to watch these teams in the world cup, there will be a few nervous sides who have to face these teams.

[@anthonyellem5389]

After watching the Fijian Drua in the Super 15 this year, definitely no surprise to me. I hope this means that any Northern Hemisphere team touring Australia or New Zealand in the future should also play a test in Suva too. Would be awesome.

[@garethrichmond4388]

A NH team should do a tour of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. I love watching the Pacific nations cup and the vibe at those stadiums.

[@damienoleary2666]

They didn't shake the world... they beat a fellow tier 2 nation with relative ease

[@hurricanenigel5111]

So u are the judge of who is tier 1 n 2

[@In-Rainbows]

@@hurricanenigel5111no. He’s a tit.

[@SeanT649]

Look I’m not usually one to defend the English but you’re being a little harsh 😂😂.They have a good few individuals that are just not clicking with each other so they are constantly reactive .That can change in professional rugby with a mindset shift and nothing else .England will be back 100%.

[@damienoleary2666]

​@@hurricanenigel5111that would be results and form buddy... nobody was "shocked" that Fiji beat England handily. A little surprised maybe but definitely not shocked.

[@hurricanenigel5111]

@@damienoleary2666 tier 1 n 2 are not judged on performance but more on the money side,bula from fiji bro

[@orlandosadie6283]

Giving the lop sided draw, Fiji can make it past the QF

[@Poweroftouch]

They could

[@EsBeeQue]

Possibility yes but need to beat Wales or the Aussies first

[@eddieaguirre605]

Hats off to Fiji

[@jeanmas4197]

I think some players, no matter how good they are, sometimes just don't work well together and at the end the team underperforms. Could be the case that England will have to wait until enough new players are added to the team to finally click and get back to normal level. If you remember France dark years (2013-2018), they had quite a few very good players but the team just couldn't perform and they sucked at almost everything. Maybe this English team with those players is simply never gonna work out and we'll have to wait until the next one.

[@Both-Barracuda]

Got to give credit to super rugby and the Drua. Half that team have been playing together for the last 2 years. Much more continuity in the squad than previous years

[@nicjanos3260]

loving the recent vids leading up to the WRC! Thanks for vids gentlemen

[@Danimal13]

The problem is that picking Ford at 10 limits what England can do offensively as he never runs on his own so defenders don’t even bother sticking on him which then leads to the second receiver getting man and ball then once that happens a couple of times Ford gets flustered and returns to his piss poor aimless kicking game. England rugby needs a very thorough gutting both the squad and the RFU after this World Cup sign an exciting coach who wants to attack and who will actually pick players who are on form in the prem but until the old fuddy duddies in the RFU leave that will never happen and rugby in England will die

[@alec1113]

Down to earth , great content . Thanks guys .

[@MentasmUK]

That's the thing though, Itoji is living on past glory. Has been for years. Same for Manu, who has been non-existent for years. Freddie steward is one of the best 15s in the world at one thing, but offers little in attack as he lacks pace. Billy V is a shadow of his former self. Sinkler too. Genge has lost his snarl. We look ponderous at halfback (and I'm not a Farrell hater at all). Smith has failed to convince at International level. A raft of potentially game-changing players have been left out... What do you do other than blame the management?

[@robertgreen9829]

The Fijian's played really well and are physically powerful. So we had tougher competition than a lot of people gave them credit for. I am HOPING that part of the problem with the England performance was that they did not want to get red carded or injured in the final match before the world cup. And that they play a lot better against Argentina, which they will need to. I would like to see less kicking and more passing too.

[@doraldeddy1836]

Regardless of who didn’t turn up on Sat (and too many didn’t!) Fiji - nominal money or whatever. England £10k or £20k+, I wouldn’t pay them! It appeared to me that the bulk of the team turned out to trouser the £s, and performed very poorly. Fiji absolute respect, well done gents, and thanks for at least showing how things can be done. Fiji 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@hafidkouloun6405]

Agree!

[@MentasmUK]

I used to listen to a competing rugby podcast, but I've grown tired with how they are clearly too chummy with certain players and coaches and shy away from the tough discussions. I can't say I always agree with you guys, but at least you're not afraid to say it how it is with regards to the current sate of English rugby. Right now I'm honestly reminded of the mid-late nineties period, or Andy Robinson/Martin Johnson eras, where the team looked clueless, couldn't score tries to save their lives etc. Obviously sport ebbs and flows, as in the aforementioned examples England had come off the back of a very successful period in the early nineties and of course the RWC in 2003, but barring purple patches in a couple of six nations matches and the latter stages of the RWC in 2019 (they were not good in the pool stages) they've been on a downwards trajectory since 2018. Every other team seems to have progressed (look at Ireland and France, who were England's more convincing wins in 2019, even though the teams remain largely unchanged from then). England are currently abject. They look bereft of ideas, rudderless, and are always on the defensive. Borthwick is a charisma vacuum and his interviews are little more than fluff pieces. The social media account celebrates when it's utterly inappropriate to do so. They sacked one problematic coach and hired his less experienced protégé, who parachuted in a bunch of his unproven mates. It's truly a depressing time to be an England fan. One thing I will say though is that, despite us being shit for some time, every other country's supporters still wander into the England socials to give gloating kickings about the loss, often mentioning arrogance etc. It's very telling about the chips certain nations have on their shoulders.

[@denverfletcher9419]

So, what you're saying is, Steve Borthwick is the second coming of Martin Johnson?

[@2011hwalker]

but worse lol

[@andrewkeppler1000]

I wouldn't be optimistic England are away to Italy first up next six nations.

[@matthewbazeley2984]

England's problem is having an outdated and predictable game plan. Whoever they pick will look poor. Rchard Wrgglesworth being apponted attack coach of England after one year of coaching a club side is one many unfathomable hiring decsion by England rugby. Great player, could well be a great coach one day but he shouldn't be coaching the international team until he proves he can develop a potent attack

[@davidpeters3857]

Your players aren’t good enough,backs are soft as bleep….there is more to an international FB than catching a high ball 👀

[@TheOne-uo7is]

Agreed - people thought he was so good just because he can catch, but doesn’t offer much else. Look at the running threat from SA, France, NZ, Ireland 15s, he doesn’t offer any of that or come inside looking for more work

[@brianmsahin]

If I was to pick a Lions squad today, it would consist of Irish and Scottish players.......and Marcus Smith, he seems to be the only English player that gives a damn. The defeat didn't shock the world. England are not a Tier 1 team. There's an attitude around England. England won the football world cup in 1966, 57 years ago....and some people are still shocked when they got knocked out! 😂

[@Malky24]

One positive: Marcus Smith actually looking like a decent 15.

[@mcmustangno1567]

I’d include Smiths old haircut, for comedic effect, he’s neither a fly half or a full back.....

[@oratilemakgaka8411]

Figi.. vs South Africa.. now that would be a beautiful physical match

[@nordie2370]

Saturday was a damp squib...England RFU gladly took the big money on the friday night knowing a half full stadium would turn up on the saturday v Fiji. This along with England's poor form gave Fiji the perfect "team talk"....not exactly a climatic send off for England before the World Cup.

[@cathedralmound]

Freddie Steward is not one of the best 15s in the world, he has been exposed time and again playing for England. Some of these lads are in denial, Fiji did not shock the rugby world, lots of people expected Fiji to beat this England team. Make no mistake, its a massive deal for Fiji to come to Twickenham and beat England but on form this one was not that surprising.

[@jonesyjones7626]

Can I just say, I almost just tune in to listen to Andy’s impersonation of Borthwick. The rest is pretty good also.

[@Argenswiss]

Might be the first loss against a tier 2 nation, but england lost against Banco Nacion, the amateur club from Hugo Porta in argentina back when argentina could have been considered a tier 2 nation

[@charcolew]

For years English players have been "bigged up" on the strength of their domestic league. Now that so many non-England players are featuring there, the number of quality English lads getting regular game time, never mind starring, for their club sides is diminishing year by year. Eventually a reality check comes and pundits put the failures down to lack of effort. Sorry, this England team is full of bang-average players who are now being found out as other nations improve and gain belief. Right now, England do not have a single player who would walk into the Springbok, Kiwi, French or Irish sides and I'm now thinking we can add Scotland and Fiji to that list. Honestly, which English player outshone his Fijian counterpart?

[@cornishpasty6926]

Marcus Smith needs to Start.

[@the16thman]

I would be calling a taxi for George ford Fiji knew what England were doing before England knew what they were doing Manu took the ball up and ran into the Fijian forwards , come to think about it the whole team are built like forwards and he started to shy away It's the same team that Eddie Jones had and some of them have been to , to many world cups So what your saying England lose to a tier 2 nation that puts England as a currently a 2 teir nation I don't understand why they didn't give the job to Johnny Wilkerson

[@jojiratulevu-rn5ts]

🤣🤣🤣@ all built like forwards. .

[@Samizouza]

If Fiji reaches the semifinals in this world cup then hopefully it means top tier recognition or something, obvious possibility despite Wales and Australia in the way.

[@grahamriley8124]

Freddie Steward is not one of the best 15s in the world!

[@tmtSHD]

Fiji played absolutely incredibly, but I think everyone is sleeping on Samoa.

[@ratutunisau4349]

Exactly

[@garethrichmond4388]

It's really funny people talking about how Japan could upset England in the WC and not even mentioning Samoa hasn't seen either team play in the last 4 years.

[@Jackthompson01]

Jim is 100% bang on Australia did really well and the scoreline didn't reflect the game at all

[@2011hwalker]

yeah France werent playing that game at 100% intensity, it was clear they have one eye on NZ. They beat AU and barely got out of third gear.

[@MentasmUK]

I'm moderately buzzing watching this, hence the multiple replies, but the change in eligibility laws has paid off for nations such as Samoa. I honestly thought they could have (and deserved to) turn Ireland over at the weekend. A lot of their players now have serious experience. You have ex All Blacks in the team (I'm a Bristol supporter, so it was nice to see our lads doing well), and they looked like a genuine threat. When you look back at 2019 and what Japan did in 2019, this has been coming for some time, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some 'tier one' nations knocked off of their perches in the next few weeks. As a rugby fan, I'm looking forward to it!

[@jamesangus8504]

Give me a break. Fiji has been very good for years and they met an underperforming England team. So England lost. Big deal. They will improve as they always do. Teams go up and down as they always do. That is sport.

[@mhoppy6639]

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the RFU has not advanced at all since will carling made his “old farts” remark. It’ll not change significantly until they start to try and access a wider talent pool that includes kids from more diverse economic backgrounds. How many in the England team were educated privately ? Nothing against that per se but they must be missing a trick in terms of kids who can come from a bigger pool.

[@Tanks518]

These guys keep writing wales off big mistake . That’s right guys right wales off . Let’s just oooze all that no hope for wales to do anything . Sit back and I hope we do turn it over . Got to love it 😂

[@LeMerch]

Why has England gotten so bad? I don’t understand it. I grew up watching Ireland my whole life and we were worse than any team in the 6N. Now easily top 2 with France but in all my time.. England were ALWAYS in the game even when having a bad one! This is a weird time.::

[@Shandyboy8612]

Fair play Goodey you don’t give a whatsit about friendships 😂. It was a disgraceful performance by England at the weekend and they should be ashamed of themselves for serving that up and give the money they made from the game to charity. Having said that I think we need to prepare ourselves for the worst this World Cup and qualifying out the group is not a given. The players are better than what they have shown recently so they will improve in the World Cup but it’s a few years (at least) until England are competing GS again or beating SA or NZ.

[@mikekelly321]

Most of the blame for this situation sits with the rugby pundits like Goode who called for Eddie to go mainly because they don't like him as a person since he dared to point out that they're windbags who don't know what they're talking about.

[@BoulderAndy]

Thankyou!! They’ve all got short memories.

[@powerbite92]

Its the people behind the rugby pod, GBR, squidge etc. They have all the money in the world and all the influence it buys and they use their two faced serfs like Big Jim and Our Andy to constantly complain and barrack for one thing one week and another thing the next - and thats the way they get to guide events. they're right in with Roc Nation btw, who have played a role in whats happened with Genge and Itoje. Remember when RocNation signed Itoje and genge and claimed it was going to turn them into 'edgy urban stars' that all kids would look up to and the next "leBrons" and thus England would become bigger and bettererer..? See how well that worked out :/ But they never have to answer for their actions.

[@johnhanson5943]

Nonsense. EJ over long stay led partly to this. Also his bottom licking of the RFU and their management of club versus country in terms of development.

[@elgc123]

@@powerbite92 what an embarrassing comment

[@powerbite92]

@elgc123 in predictable fashion, the system p1gs with corporate jobs think that talking like prissy little girls is a way to deny the truth. Yormark, RocNation, Folding pocket productions, the money behind Squidge, EVERYTHING they've touched has turned to sh*t and having a bunch of little normie cheerleaders like you attempting girlie put downs isn't going to change that.

[@prac2]

Whinging poms! You should have never sacked Eddie Jones so close to the world cup. You have great players, and you can never discount England.

[@Bobbydyland]

Andy, don;t feel bad. 2015 Japan beat the Boks. Lookout for England in 2027.

[@bernieflynn4803]

Everybody - "let's grow the game worldwide, give the Tier 2 opportunity to improve" English after losing to Fiji - "we are effing useless it's unacceptable " Fiji - " Bula here we are"

[@Samizouza]

Pretty much it with petty double standards 😂

[@stuart730]

Goodey is spot on (and has been for a long time). One of the most astute pundits in the game. And Jim.... that mic is NOT a good look.

[@Poweroftouch]

😂naughty boy

[@batika-loa6818]

England players each got paid around GBP 25,000 for this game. ...Fiji head coach Simon when asked said his players are paid a minimal daily allowance...my guess collectively probably doesn't even add up to one English player's day's work! Hmmm..wake up World Rugby...this is ridiculous. Enuff said.

[@expressoevangelism80]

Saw it coming weeks ago. When the English forwards win good 1st phase ball, and then kick it to the free running locomotive force of the Fiji 3/4’s it is obvious what you’ll get as a payback. Think⁉️ On pitch thinking has been ruled out of the modern game, unfortunately. Good players have wide angled vision and rapid reflex action. Where is it in the England team? Nowhere near.

[@truthseekerreal1]

England fell when they started Taking the Knee because an American black was killed (Occupational Hazard) while committing criminal activity, the politicisation of our sport killed it for me. I supported England all my life but the knee shi- killed it for me. They need 2 bags of pride each

[@kieranoconnor4334]

I dunno........England playing like a bunch of mummies and male models might a helped......a lot!