England beat Fiji in Nations Championship after Pollock hat-trick

England ended a five-match losing streak with a dominant 73-8 victory over Fiji in the Nations Championship on Saturday, 11 July 2026. The match, hosted at Liverpool’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, saw England run in 11 tries to secure their largest-ever margin of victory over the Pacific islanders.

The win provides relief for England head coach Steve Borthwick following a difficult run of form. England had not won a test match since the Six Nations, and a sixth consecutive defeat would have marked their worst sequence in two decades. The Guardian reports that the management now has space to breathe as the squad prepares for the final leg of their summer tour.

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Nations Championship - Fiji 8-73 England: Henry Pollock scores hat-trick as Steve Borthwick

The match was designated as a Fiji "home" game, with the team electing to play their summer fixtures in Britain to generate higher revenue. Despite the crowd of 50,209, Fiji struggled to gain traction, hampered by a high penalty count and ill-discipline. The contest was effectively settled in the first half, during which England established control through their scrum and maul.

England’s momentum was bolstered by a moment of fortune in the sixth minute when a cross-field kick from fly-half Fin Smith struck the corner flag and rebounded into the path of Marcus Smith for the opening try. Captain Jamie George added a second from a driving maul, while Guy Pepper, debutant Benhard Janse van Rensburg, and Seb Atkinson rounded out the first-half scoring.

Fiji's task became significantly harder just before the interval when scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli was shown a straight red card by referee Hollie Davidson for kicking out at England prop Ellis Genge. Sky Sports notes that the decision was confirmed by TMO Mike Adamson, leaving Fiji to play the entire second half with 14 men.

While Fiji managed a lone try through captain Tevita Ikanivere, England dominated the remainder of the game. Second-half replacement Henry Pollock emerged as the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick of tries in the final quarter. Debutant Noah Caluori also impressed, diving over in the corner for a try, and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso added his name to the score sheet. Fin Smith, who was named man of the match, successfully converted nine of England's 11 tries.

Despite the win, the fixture came at a cost for the England squad. Replacement scrum-half Alex Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury and is confirmed to miss the upcoming match against Argentina. Borthwick addressed the setback, stating: I don't know at this stage whether it's a recurrence of the hamstring injury he's had a couple of times already this season, nor can I confirm the length at this early stage of how long he's going to be absent for, but it looks like he won't be able to be part of next week. Steve Borthwick, head coach, via Sky Sports

The victory serves as a statement of intent, but the coaching staff is already looking toward the next challenge. England travel to Santiago del Estero to face Argentina on Saturday, 18 July 2026. Meanwhile, Fiji will look to recover when they face Scotland at Murrayfield on the same day.

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