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England vs Fiji betting tips:
- Fiji +10 points - 4/5 with BetGoodwin
- Total points over 45.5 - 9/10 with BetMGM
- Winning margin - England to win by 1-5 points - 6/1 with Betfred
The last occasion England and Fiji met was shortly before the start of the Rugby World Cup, and it was Fiji who came out on top with a 30-22 victory.
The statistics of that game tell the story of two teams equally matched and there is nothing we have seen in the World Cup so far that would suggest that it will be a much different scenario on Sunday afternoon.
The latest Rugby World Cup odds reveal that the bookmakers have come out firmly in favour of England battling their way through to a daunting semi-final clash against the mighty teams of France or South Africa.
Ten points is a generous start for Fiji
England may come out on top, but it will likely be a close call. Fiji will take full advantage if the Red Rose play as poorly as they did against Samoa in their final Pool D match.
It can be argued that Fiji performed better than England in the pool stages, and their minds were probably drifting more to Sunday’s match when Portugal pipped them with a late try in their final pool game last weekend.
A similar lapse in concentration against England will probably cost them dear.
A ten-point start looks more than generous, though, and they can be backed at 4/5 with BetGoodwin. Fiji's ball movement and power will likely test England much the same as Samoa did, their style of play being similar.
England tend to struggle against teams that want to run the ball and looked vulnerable at times against Japan and, obviously, Samoa. Fiji will not have missed this and they will be looking to exploit the openings at every opportunity.
There will be plenty of opportunities for England and Fiji to run in tries and both have the players to clock up the points in penalty situations. To win by over ten points, though, England will need to step up several gears from their pool match form, and it is not easy to make a case that they will.
High-scoring game on the cards in the race for the semi-finals
The over/under market sees UK bookmakers with varying opinions, but it seems to be settling at around the 45-point mark.
That looks like a reachable target in a match that will most likely be a physical battle with a Fijian team that is disciplined in defence and likely to force England into more open play.
Both teams ran in three tries in their match against each other a couple of months ago and this will most likely be where the vast majority of the points are going to come from.
The two sides can also put plenty of points on the board when opportunities arise for their kickers.
England and Fiji have breached the 45-point margin in 50 per cent of their World Cup games so far, but the knockout stages of competitions often produce high-scoring matches and we're backing this to be one of them.
Winning margin market could be worth an interest
Neither England nor Fiji have really sparkled in the Rugby World Cup, and it is hard to evaluate where they are compared to the last time they met. The answer could be they are still about at the same level and closely matched.
Their last match saw the lead change on several occasions, with Fiji putting late points on the board to seal the win. Sunday’s game may again see the lead to-and-fro, and there may not be much in it come the final whistle.
A winning margin of between one and five points to either side could be the call.
England are 6/1 with Betfred to win by 1-5 points, with the same bookmaker offering 8/1 Fiji to win by 1-5 points. We’re backing the Red Rose to advance to the semi-finals by a narrow margin.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
