Key events

14m agoHALF TIME!
14m agoRED CARD! Simione Kuruvoli (Fiji)
16m agoDISALLOWED TRY! Fiji 3 - 35 England (Kalaveti Ravouvou)
24m agoTRY! Fiji 3 - 35 England (Seb Atkinson)
27m agoTRY! Fiji 3 - 28 England (Benhard Janse van Rensburg)
36m agoTRY! Fiji 3 - 21 England (Guy Pepper)
37m agoYELLOW CARD! Levani Botia (Fiji)
52m agoTRY! Fiji 3- 14 England (Jamie George)
1h agoPENALTY! Fiji 3 - 7 England (Caleb Muntz)
1h agoTRY! Fiji 0 - 7 England (Marcus Smith)
1h agoKick Off!
2h agoTeams
2h agoPreamble

The contest had already descended into a messy affair for Fiji and the red card will make the second half even tougher. Their discipline issues persist beyond the kick and exhaustion is evident across the team.

England sit just a few handling mistakes from a dominant performance that appears likely to follow.

HALF TIME!

The whistle sounds after a lively closing sequence to the opening period.

RED CARD! Simione Kuruvoli (Fiji)

Referee Davidson rules the kick by Kuruvoli after release by Genge removes any possible mitigation leading to a full red card.

DISALLOWED TRY! Fiji 3 - 35 England (Kalaveti Ravouvou)

40+3 mins. Fiji advance slowly until a strong Yato burst creates space for Ravouvou to score but a prior incident sees Genge holding Kuruvoli down prompting the scrum half to kick out.

40 mins. Muntz restarts short and Fiji recycle into midfield on the England 22 only for a handling error to end the move. The visitors lose the scrum badly giving Fiji late possession.

TRY! Fiji 3 - 35 England (Seb Atkinson)

38 mins. F Smith chips behind for Wainiqolo to misjudge allowing Marcus Smith a run into the 22. Atkinson receives an offload from van Poortvliet to score. Fin Smith adds the conversion.

TRY! Fiji 3 - 28 England (Benhard Janse van Rensburg)

35 mins. Referee Davidson penalises the Fiji scrum early for illegal engagement by Mesake Doge. England choose another scrum that succeeds and moves wide for the debutant to score after a strong Feyi-Waboso carry.

33 mins. Fiji scrum collapses under pressure and England earn repeated penalties. Borthwick introduces Bernhard Janse van Rensburg for his debut in place of Slade.

31 mins. From a lineout near halfway a promising Fiji platform after a Tagitagivalu break ends when Pepper disrupts the breakdown causing a Kuruvoli knock on.

TRY! Fiji 3 - 21 England (Guy Pepper)

28 mins. From the ruck Pepper picks and drives over from close range under pressure. The conversion follows from the tee.

YELLOW CARD! Levani Botia (Fiji)

27 mins. England press the line where Botia dives over the ruck to slap the ball preventing van Poortvliet from clearing. A clear yellow card follows.

26 mins. Fiji clear long inviting another England attack. Atkinson feeds Marcus Smith who grubbers ahead. Freeman reaches the ball first but spills it with the line open.

23 mins. An England scrum outside the Fiji 22 yields a free kick taken quickly by van Poortvliet. Atkinson advances and a kick is chased by Earl who fumbles near the posts.

20 mins. Play resumes after the break with discussion of Botia. He immediately infringes by clattering van Poortvliet illegally at the ruck base.

19 mins. A contest for a high ball sees Feyi-Waboso spill forward. Fiji scrum well and spread the ball to Karawalevu who runs into England territory before the move breaks down prompting a water break.

TRY! Fiji 3- 14 England (Jamie George)

15 mins. Tagitagivalu is penalised at the ruck and Ratuva collides in the air at the lineout. England opt for touch and execute a catch and drive allowing their captain to score.

PENALTY! Fiji 3 - 7 England (Caleb Muntz)

12 mins. Fiji secure a scrum penalty against the flow of play. Muntz quickly takes the kick to open their account.

9 mins. England phase in midfield until van Poortvliet darts from the ruck. His offload fails and the ball reaches Kuruvoli who hacks forward. Freeman scrambles but cannot secure possession allowing Karawalevu a run that ends in touch.

TRY! Fiji 0 - 7 England (Marcus Smith)

6 mins. Fiji scrum struggles again and on advantage Fin Smith cross-kicks toward Freeman. The ball bounces off the corner flag allowing Marcus Smith to pounce for a unusual score. The conversion succeeds.

Match officials:

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant Referee 1: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)

4 mins. England fail to capitalise at the lineout with a forward pass. Kuruvoli hacks from the scrum base but pressure forces another knock on leading to an England scrum seven metres out.

2 mins. Van Poortvliet boxes to touch after a carry. Fiji spill at the lineout giving England a scrum and a penalty against Mawi.

Kick Off!

Caleb Muntz starts with a chip deep into England territory under bright conditions.

Fijian cultural performers provide pre-match singing and displays. A Fijian community exists in Rochdale stemming from rugby league recruitment in the 1960s.

Reader Guy Hornsby notes the heat and the rarity of England playing outside London. England have played a few matches away from the capital since the 1990s including fixtures in Manchester and Newcastle.

Organisers have extended half time to twenty minutes with additional water breaks after twenty minutes of each half due to the conditions.

The day in Liverpool is extremely hot with players like Ollie Chessum facing particular challenges from the conditions.

Pre match reading

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Teams

Fiji alter their backline from the Wales match with several players replaced. Borthwick selects Henry Slade and Guy Pepper while Tommy Freeman moves to the wing. Three uncapped players feature on the bench.

Fiji: Salesi Rayasi; Vuate Karawalevu, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Josua Tuisova, Jiuta Wainiqolo; Caleb Muntz, Simione Kuruvoli; Eroni Mawi, Tevita Ikanivere, Mesake Doge; Tevita Ratuva, Isoa Nasilasila; Peceli Yato, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Levani Botia.
Replacements: Sam Matavesi, Livai Natave, Peni Ravai, Temo Mayanavanua, Elia Canakaivata, Pita-Gus Sowakula, Frank Lomani, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula.

England: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Henry Slade, Seb Atkinson, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; Fin Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes; Alex Coles, George Martin; Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, George Kloska, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori.

Preamble

Fiji and England meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool for round two of the Nations Championship. Both teams seek to respond after defeats to Wales and South Africa respectively.

Steve Borthwick faces pressure after the loss to South Africa and requires a strong result. Fiji cite selection issues last week but field a stronger side today and recall their close World Cup quarter final meeting with England.