Six tries in 18 minutes proved the difference as England qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup after beating Fiji 34-12 on Saturday.
The hosts found themselves 6-0 down due to a converted try from Eloni Vunakece, but Ben Westwood levelled before the break at Hull’s KC Stadium.
In the second-half, England put in a much improved attacking display, with Sam Burgess’ try mere seconds into the half, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Two Ryan Hall tries, as well as one each from Brett Ferres and Rob Burrow, sealed the victory although Semi Radradra crashed over late on.
The result means England finished second in Group A and will face either France or Samoa in the quarter-finals in a match which will take place in Wigan next Saturday. Should they win, form would suggest a meeting with defending champions New Zealand in the semi-finals.
After the game, England coach Steve McNamara admitted he was pleased with the performance. He continued: “I was worried that the players might be worried at half-time. That was my concern.
“It was an extremely tough Test match. Fiji have got some very good players.
“They completed at nearly 100% in the first half and gave very little away. We were in a real Test match and I was pleased that we were.”
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