Archive November 8, 2025

With the match still in the balance, British and Irish Lions duo Henry Pollock and Tom Curry both stood with their hands on their hips, waiting to enter the Test arena.

An entire front row of fellow Lion Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour were also ready for battle.

All five England forwards strode on to the pitch on the 54-minute mark as Steve Borthwick sought to take the game away from stubborn opponents.

The score was 21-18 at that point.

As in last week’s win against Australia, England’s bench proved the difference, bringing new levels of energy and experience as England raced away from a tiring Fiji to win 38-18.

Replacement wing Henry Arundell, celebrating his 23rd birthday, also had a telling impact on his return to international rugby after two years.

Starting behind the halfway line, the Bath flyer accelerated past two Fiji defenders and team-mate Marcus Smith, who kicked the ball through, to score a stunning try.

That passage of play summed up the star quality and X-factor on Borthwick’s bench – and the stiff competition for places.

“We have a number of players with pace on the edges and on the wing,” Borthwick said.

“It is exactly the tough decisions you want as a head coach.”

Captain Maro Itoje also scored off the bench as did former England skipper Jamie George.

Last week against the Wallabies, 20-year-old replacement Pollock scooped the ball up with one hand to score a memorable try that confirmed England’s dominance.

“We’ve seen in Test matches that the margins are so small,” Borthwick added.

“It is about understanding the fitness of the players for going 80 minutes and the impact of the bench.

“That alongside composure and resilience are important components.”

England have now won nine straight games – the last time they enjoyed a longer streak was an 18-game run from 2015 to 2017 during which they won their last Grand Slam.

Their current run stretches back to their defeat in the opening game of this year’s Six Nations in Ireland.

Having lost so many Tests by fine margins in the final quarter last year, England’s strength and depth is now showing.

Fin Smith was back at fly-half against Fiji with his namesake Marcus Smith, another Lions tourist and fly-half, at full-back.

Both players needed to grasp the opportunity with George Ford still believed to be the front-runner to face the All Blacks.

Fin Smith, who admitted he was disappointed by his form on the Lions tour, controlled the attack well and played the entire 80 minutes to prove his ability to come through sticky moments in games.

Marcus Smith’s eye for a gap helped Arundell to his moment of glory, with his grubber kicking behind Fiji used regularly to good affect, but doubts still remain about his quality at full-back.

“This team has come under a bit of criticism in tight games, certainly under my reign as captain [in 2024],” George told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We had composure and clarity in the huddle where I thought Fin Smith led really well.

“When you’re bringing on the likes of Tom Curry and Maro, that sort of experience in the huddle is invaluable.

“It’s all been part of the process, its all been part of the journey. We’re still on the early part of the curve of becoming the team we want to be.

“We do have an end goal of winning the World Cup but at the same time we are aware we need to be a significantly better team in order to do that.”

Borthwick’s side face a dangerous New Zealand team, who they lost narrowly against last autumn, next Saturday.

Scott Robertson’s side also used their bench to defeat Scotland late on after a score by replacement Damian McKenzie proved vital.

Fiji claimed a 30-22 victory over England in a warm-up game before the 2023 World Cup but lost 30-24 in a bruising quarter-final at the tournament.

Ranked ninth in the world, the visitors scored three tries and were a threat for large portions of the game at Allianz Stadium

A key moment came before Arundell’s score when scrum-half Simi Kuruvoli spilled the ball in the act of scoring.

That try would have put Fiji back within a score and might have changed the momentum heading into the final quarter.

“I thought he had control of the ball but the TMO said he lost control,” said Fiji head coach Mick Byrne. “But at no stage did he, as it went from one arm to the other.

“It would have been nice to have that momentum following a try.”

The defeat ended a five-match winning run – which was the Pacific Island side’s equal best streak since 1999.

Borthwick was impressed by the visitors and said his side can learn a lot from the way Fiji play.

“If they continue their development and with the impact Fijian Drua [their Super Rugby Pacific side] are having, I would not be surprised if they are challenging the top four and for Rugby World Cup semi-finals,” Borthwick added.

For a long while this season, Arsenal have looked an unstoppable force.

They arrived at Sunderland on Saturday looking to extend their winning run to 11 consecutive games and keep a club-record ninth clean sheet in a row.

Victory would have sent them eight points clear at the top by the end of the day, but the Black Cats that crossed the Gunners’ path at the Stadium of Light were set on being disruptive.

Regis le Bris’ side, the pre-season relegation favourites, have surpassed all expectations on their return to the Premier League and are sitting pretty in the European places for now.

They used everything in their power to unsettle and ultimately shock the league leaders, earning a 2-2 draw that will have been celebrated far beyond Wearside.

Sunderland scored the first goal Arsenal have conceded since September when Dan Ballard gave them a first-half lead, and although the hosts then slipped 2-1 behind, there was a late twist as Brian Brobbey scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser, sparking wild scenes of celebration on the pitch and in the stands.

Arsenal have been known for playing slick, attacking football in the past, but there has been more directness about them this season, with set-pieces proving particularly effective. Long throws have also increasingly been part of their threat.

To combat the throw-in danger, Sunderland moved the advertising boards around the edge of the pitch closer in than usual, to limit the amount of space Arsenal players had when looking to launch the ball.

“We tried to find the details to win the game,” said Le Bris, when asked after the 2-2 draw if that was true.

“They are really strong on set-pieces, we are good as well, and this threat was really important for this game and in the end it was balanced.”

It was indeed more balanced, with Sunderland able to restrict Arsenal to just two corners all game – the same number they had.

But it was not just about stopping what Arsenal could do, but also how Sunderland went about the game themselves.

Led by their talismanic captain Granit Xhaka – who revelled in disrupting his former team – Sunderland were aggressive and brave in the tackle, unsettling their opponents from the outset.

Even after Arsenal had seemingly taken control by scoring twice in the second half after Ballard’s first-half opener, Sunderland swarmed forward in the belief that they could find an equaliser.

It is not the first time Sunderland have got their reward for fighting to the very end, with Saturday’s late leveller the fifth goal they have scored from the 90th minute onwards – more than any other Premier League side.

“There are a lot of games like this in the Premier League right now,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.

“We conceded a goal in a manner we knew was one of their biggest strengths. They do that really well.

Sunderland had a plan and stuck to it, but the statistics highlight just how impressive a result it was.

“They never stopped trying, asking questions of Arsenal,” former Sunderland striker Darren Bent said.

It was the two ex-Arsenal men – Xhaka and Ballard – who perhaps epitomised Sunderland’s battling spirit best.

Xhaka was the leader on the pitch, orchestrating things in the middle, while Ballard drove the opener past David Raya, provided an assist for the equaliser, and made a brilliant block in the final few seconds to prevent Arsenal snatching the win.

Ballard started his professional career at the Gunners, having been in the club’s academy since the age of eight, but did not make a first-team appearance for them before joining Sunderland in 2022.

“It’s a good morale boost to show we can go against a really top team – probably one of the best in Europe at the minute – and delighted with that,” Ballard told Match of the Day after Saturday’s game.

“But it is just one point and we’ve got a lot of work to do to achieve our goal of staying up this year.”

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: “Ballard epitomised everything Sunderland have done so well, with his aggression and stopping Arsenal play.

“They are really, really tough to play against and there were so many examples of him and his team putting their bodies in the line. Arsenal will not have many tougher games than that this season, and Sunderland thoroughly deserved the point.”

The draw means Sunderland remain unbeaten at home and they have 19 points from 11 games, well on the way to avoiding relegation as they sit nine points above the bottom three.

“Sunderland went physical today but within the laws of the game, apart from one moment in the first half when Dan Ballard challenged Mikel Merino in the box,” Match of the Day pundit and former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott said.

“They were well organised and I didn’t think they’d be able to keep it up for 90 minutes.

“There’s a reason why Sunderland will be fine in this league. The Stadium of Light is not an easy place to play football.

There is perhaps no harm in title-challenging sides who are on long winning runs being reminded that they are fallible.

The Gunners have been brilliant this season, dealing with a lengthy injury list while building a platform from which they can challenge to win the Premier League.

Now comes the international break, which serves as a chance to take stock and recover some of their injured players before Tottenham visit in the north London derby on Sunday, 23 November.

“Arsenal won’t draw as many as they did last year. If anything it shows resilience to come back the way they did,” Walcott said.

“Arsenal did almost everything right up until the last few minutes.”

Arteta, too, is not reading too much into the result, choosing to focus on the bigger picture.

“We won the last 10 games, not conceded goals, we have seven players injured and the team has been phenomenal in performances and results, so let’s keep going,” said the manager.

For a long while this season, Arsenal have looked an unstoppable force.

They arrived at Sunderland on Saturday looking to extend their winning run to 11 consecutive games and keep a club-record ninth clean sheet in a row.

Victory would have sent them eight points clear at the top by the end of the day, but the Black Cats that crossed the Gunners’ path at the Stadium of Light were set on being disruptive.

Regis le Bris’ side, the pre-season relegation favourites, have surpassed all expectations on their return to the Premier League and are sitting pretty in the European places for now.

They used everything in their power to unsettle and ultimately shock the league leaders, earning a 2-2 draw that will have been celebrated far beyond Wearside.

Sunderland scored the first goal Arsenal have conceded since September when Dan Ballard gave them a first-half lead, and although the hosts then slipped 2-1 behind, there was a late twist as Brian Brobbey scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser, sparking wild scenes of celebration on the pitch and in the stands.

Arsenal have been known for playing slick, attacking football in the past, but there has been more directness about them this season, with set-pieces proving particularly effective. Long throws have also increasingly been part of their threat.

To combat the throw-in danger, Sunderland moved the advertising boards around the edge of the pitch closer in than usual, to limit the amount of space Arsenal players had when looking to launch the ball.

“We tried to find the details to win the game,” said Le Bris, when asked after the 2-2 draw if that was true.

“They are really strong on set-pieces, we are good as well, and this threat was really important for this game and in the end it was balanced.”

It was indeed more balanced, with Sunderland able to restrict Arsenal to just two corners all game – the same number they had.

But it was not just about stopping what Arsenal could do, but also how Sunderland went about the game themselves.

Led by their talismanic captain Granit Xhaka – who revelled in disrupting his former team – Sunderland were aggressive and brave in the tackle, unsettling their opponents from the outset.

Even after Arsenal had seemingly taken control by scoring twice in the second half after Ballard’s first-half opener, Sunderland swarmed forward in the belief that they could find an equaliser.

It is not the first time Sunderland have got their reward for fighting to the very end, with Saturday’s late leveller the fifth goal they have scored from the 90th minute onwards – more than any other Premier League side.

“There are a lot of games like this in the Premier League right now,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.

“We conceded a goal in a manner we knew was one of their biggest strengths. They do that really well.

Sunderland had a plan and stuck to it, but the statistics highlight just how impressive a result it was.

“They never stopped trying, asking questions of Arsenal,” former Sunderland striker Darren Bent said.

It was the two ex-Arsenal men – Xhaka and Ballard – who perhaps epitomised Sunderland’s battling spirit best.

Xhaka was the leader on the pitch, orchestrating things in the middle, while Ballard drove the opener past David Raya, provided an assist for the equaliser, and made a brilliant block in the final few seconds to prevent Arsenal snatching the win.

Ballard started his professional career at the Gunners, having been in the club’s academy since the age of eight, but did not make a first-team appearance for them before joining Sunderland in 2022.

“It’s a good morale boost to show we can go against a really top team – probably one of the best in Europe at the minute – and delighted with that,” Ballard told Match of the Day after Saturday’s game.

“But it is just one point and we’ve got a lot of work to do to achieve our goal of staying up this year.”

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: “Ballard epitomised everything Sunderland have done so well, with his aggression and stopping Arsenal play.

“They are really, really tough to play against and there were so many examples of him and his team putting their bodies in the line. Arsenal will not have many tougher games than that this season, and Sunderland thoroughly deserved the point.”

The draw means Sunderland remain unbeaten at home and they have 19 points from 11 games, well on the way to avoiding relegation as they sit nine points above the bottom three.

“Sunderland went physical today but within the laws of the game, apart from one moment in the first half when Dan Ballard challenged Mikel Merino in the box,” Match of the Day pundit and former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott said.

“They were well organised and I didn’t think they’d be able to keep it up for 90 minutes.

“There’s a reason why Sunderland will be fine in this league. The Stadium of Light is not an easy place to play football.

There is perhaps no harm in title-challenging sides who are on long winning runs being reminded that they are fallible.

The Gunners have been brilliant this season, dealing with a lengthy injury list while building a platform from which they can challenge to win the Premier League.

Now comes the international break, which serves as a chance to take stock and recover some of their injured players before Tottenham visit in the north London derby on Sunday, 23 November.

“Arsenal won’t draw as many as they did last year. If anything it shows resilience to come back the way they did,” Walcott said.

“Arsenal did almost everything right up until the last few minutes.”

Arteta, too, is not reading too much into the result, choosing to focus on the bigger picture.

“We won the last 10 games, not conceded goals, we have seven players injured and the team has been phenomenal in performances and results, so let’s keep going,” said the manager.