Tom Curry, flanker
On the success of the changes made in England’s backline:
“Steve [Borthwick, head coach] especially likes to play differently against different opponents. So, to have that combination, being able to adapt, is really important. It came off tonight, as you can see.”
On never feeling too concerned even when Fiji drew level at 24-24:
“It didn’t feel scary, to be honest. It felt pretty calm. You give moments like that to Fiji, we probably weren’t at it physically and you saw what they can do. But I think a lot of it came down to us.
“We kind of just cracked into the next thing. It felt we were in control.”
On first-phase defence and low tackle height being key for England:
“Probably a bit too low at some points.
“They have got some great players – (Josua) Tuisova, (Levani) Botia, people like that – who can properly attack off set-piece. So, for us, it was a big focus area.
“You know once they get in the game, front foot, on top, you make life very difficult for yourself. So, for us set-piece defence was a big emphasis this week.”
On Fiji getting frustrated with England’s suffocating defence:
“It’s just an outcome. For us it was stopping the way they play. We know once they dominate the contact area, offload, they look great and you saw it in the second half. So, for us it was stopping that.”
On the confidence the team can draw for the semi-final:
“Definitely, but nothing creates itself. We’ve got to go again, build it up again like we did this week. I think we have put ourselves in a great spot.”
On his off-the-ball clash with Botia:
“It was all pretty relaxed after. The Fijians are great, aren’t they. I think that’s the beauty of rugby, you can scrap it out and then it’s pretty chilled afterwards. I was a bit worried for a second but it’s all good afterwards.”
On whether he would prefer to face France or South Africa in the semi-finals:
“I don’t care. They’re both getting it. It would be a great experience (if it is France). England backs-against-the-wall, can’t wait.”
Elliot Daly, wing
On finding a way to win:
“I think the way we started the game, to get that 14-point advantage early on in the game was massive for us. We knew they could score from anywhere and they showed that in the last 20 minutes to score those two tries. It was about staying calm after that.
“These big games, big moments happen and you have to stay calm after that to execute the game plan. That is what we did, we backed ourselves, backed our defence and it won us the game.”
On feeling comfortable until Fiji’s late two tries:
“You can’t let that put you off your game. You need to get straight back on task and the leaders we have in this team are brilliant at getting us back, getting us calm and getting us into the next job and that is what we did.”
On the messages sent to players in the final stages of the game:
“It was about trying to wrap the ball. They are obviously a good off-loading team. [We also had to] make our first tackles. Probably our discipline wasn’t the best. As soon as we looked at that, we really started to get a foothold in the game.”
On the approach to the semi-final:
“Obviously we will watch the game tonight. We are massively excited, this group is excited to be in the semi-final. We are going to train well this week and give it our best come the weekend.”
On the experience in the squad and if it helps:
“Yeah, definitely. Some lads haven’t been there, some lads have and you really draw on those experiences. I think it’s one thing that we will talk about this week but I think overall emotion is excitement for this week and we will show that come game time.”
Courtney Lawes, flanker
On what the key was to the win:
“The key for us was fronting up physically. We had to stop them, they have some of the best athletes in the world. I think we did that largely. You see how quickly they can get on top of you once you miss a tackle or two. That is where those points came from and that is why it ended up quite close.
“There is obviously a lot to work on for us but largely we just fronted up in defence. Obviously we were quite calm and composed when it got back to level pegging and we are ready to push ahead again.”
On the breakdown:
“It always seems to be [huge] nowadays. It looked early on like they were going to get the edge there, we luckily were able to snuff a couple of breakdown turnovers so very happy with that.”
On if experience will matter in the semi-final:
“I am just going to do what I can for the team. Play as best that I can first and foremost and then do what I can to bring the lads along with me.”
On being underdogs:
“We don’t mind that at all. Regardless of who we play, we are going to prepare very diligently this week and we are going to give it absolutely everything as we have been through this entire tournament.”
On the prep for the semi-final:
“I think it’s a matter of building as a team and I think we did that really well this week. We knew we had to be in the right place physically coming into this game and it won’t be any different next week. We have got a lot of experience in the team, we have got a lot of players who have been there and done it. We will do everything we can to get the right tempo into the week so we can really hit the ground running at the weekend.”
Maro Itoje, second-row
On the win:
“There are still things we can do better. We allowed them back into the game. In an ideal world we will try and avoid that. But we tightened things up when things needed to be tightened.
“When you’re playing a top team there is going to be a period when they get on top. The challenge is in that period is to make sure they don’t come away with too much and we allowed them to do that.”
On being double-teamed in a tackle by Fiji:
“They are physical. I was probably a bit too high and if you go too high against these boys they send you backwards.”
On if he believed England could reach semi-final:
“I have had total belief. Sometimes it’s difficult when you are not getting results and in the summer we clearly weren’t getting results.
“But sometimes that kind of experience focuses the mind. It’s all about us, it’s all about what we do. The mindset.”
Steve Borthwick, head coach
On the result:
“Really pleased for the players out there and the squad of 33 who have worked really hard for the result tonight. Really pleased for all of the supporters, both here in the ground tonight who I thought were incredible and the millions back home who have been watching on television.
“I think what is important at this point is to say credit to Fiji, what a fantastic team they are. A brilliant World Cup they have had. The way they played tonight, a team jam packed full of world class players. Full of pace and the way they scored those back-to-back tries, they were scored in a way not too many teams in the world
could score like that.”
On Owen Farrell:
“I reiterate the words I have said many times about the man sat next to me, I think he is a fantastic leader. He is the kind of leader I know I would want to follow onto the pitch. I think he is a brilliant player who thrives in the contest and especially in these big occasions he just gets even better. We are very fortunate to have Owen as a player in this team and as our leader. He should feel very proud of his performance and the way he led the team.”
On Marcus Smith at full-back:
“I thought he played well. I thought he defended with a huge amount of courage. Not many people talk about Marcus’ defence but I thought his defence was very, very good tonight.”
On semi-final:
“I think many people wrote we wouldn’t get out of the group, maybe some of them are here tonight. The team performed very, very well to top the group and then played well to find a way to win tonight. What we will do is recover from today’s game and then we will build towards our game next Saturday.”
On if there is a siege mentality around the team:
“I said the team would be ready for 9 September and they were ready for 9 September. The team has built through the tournament. This team there is a squad full of talented players who perform on the big occasion. What they did was perform on the big occasion.”
On the 2007 England team as inspiration:
“Firstly I think the team has found itself in several different situations. We have tried to capture the learnings from each one of them I think the players handled each one in a smart way. Game one against Argentina, the sending off after two minutes and the way the responded. Japan playing in a completely different manner, kicked the ball every one-and-a-half rucks, never seen a Japan team play like that. Found a way through that contest.
“Jump to game four against Samoa found ourselves in a difficult situation but we had a huge Q4 to win that game. Today, for large parts we controlled the game and then had a couple of thunderbolts that hit the team in quick succession. I think you’ve seen in a [recent] period of time the England team weren’t coming back to win that game and this team did.
“There is a smartness and composure about the team led by this man [Farrell]. I think the team is continuing to grow with. We have discussed that a lot in the week. We talked about scenarios and how you handle different situations. I think the players are drawing on all of those experiences now.
“As for comparisons with 07, I think this group is incredibly tight, they are clear on what they are trying to do and work upon. We go about our work and I think in 07, we had a bit of a reset after game two and I think in 07 the team said we will go about our work. I think that is what I see with this team, they are doing exactly that.”
Owen Farrell, captain and fly-half
On the performance:
“Very pleased to find our way to win the game again. I thought the team has done an excellent job of that over the group stages and now in a big knockout game. I think the effort, as Steve said, of the full squad that has gone into this week has made it an enjoyable week and a week we have all got after together. That will continue now into next week.”
On Ben Earl:
“He is obviously growing and growing as a player but it is no surprise to me. I have been his teammate for a long time now. Seeing how hungry he is and seeing how much he wants the ball and wants to get involved when the game matters, I have seen it at club [Saracens] for a while now and we are seeing it here.
“On days like today, it probably doesn’t feel right to pick out individuals as much as it’s not just a team performance, it’s a whole squad one, but he certainly played a big part of it.”
On if he would prefer France or South Africa in the semi-final:
“It’s a tough question. It’s not a question I can answer very well. What I can say is I am looking forward to getting back to the hotel and watching that game tonight. It should be a fantastic game.”
On the end of the game:
“I thought the team was brilliant in those moments. I don’t know if there are another team in the world who can score two tries like Fiji did today straight off the back of each other. We managed to wrestle our way back into the game and we got in the right parts of the field. We managed to take our chances, not just that but we backed it up with a big defensive performance on the back of that. We did that last week as well, as Steve said, this team finding ways to win. When it came down to it today we did that I am pleased with that.”
On if it doesn’t matter how they win:
“You want to win the game and you want to play the opportunities that present themselves. There are many different ways of doing that, there are a lot of good teams left in this competition. We have got to have a massive amount of respect for what other teams can do, that is what this stage is like. you saw from Fiji today how much power and skill they had and they could turn it on in the blink of eye.
“We had to manage that and get down the right end of the field ourselves. I am glad we were able to come away with the result.”
On being underdogs in the semi-final:
“We will prepare the way we have been doing over the past five/six weeks we have been here. We will enjoy getting to a big occasion and a big week and we’ll attack it.”
Owen Farrell, Mastercard Player of the Match and captain
On the game:
“It was what we expected. They are a tough, tough team that can turn it on in the blink of an eye. I thought we started the game really well. We really got after it in that first half.
“We always knew Fiji were going to have some good patches and they did. To find a way to win and get through to the semi-finals is a big step forward but we know we have plenty of work to do.”
On his drop goal which regained lead for England:
“Just to try and get some points on the board for us and come away with points. The forwards did a great job and put it on the plate for us. Just had to knock it over.”
On England’s performance:
“It was a controlled performance at times, but there’s plenty that we can do better. There’s plenty we can still clean up.
“You can see the power of Fijian team at times. They went a man down and they still managed to go through us at one point. Credit to them. It was a tough, tough battle.”
On changes in England’s back line:
“People talk about changes and people talking about people being in the starting team. It’s just a role change. This team changes for every week, every different team, for what we want to do.
“Everyone from 1-33 has a massive role to play. They have done so, so far, and that’s going to continue.”
On the fans:
“Brilliant. You can hear them in the background. This stadium is an awesome place to play. The crowd has been behind us both times we played here and hopefully they’ll get behind us next week.”
Steve Borthwick, head coach
On dealing with Fiji’s comeback:
“An immense credit to players for dealing with it. But what a performance by Fiji, not just tonight but this World Cup.
“What a team they are. Well coached and jam-packed with world-class talent. We knew it was going to be a tough game and it was.
“For large parts of the game we controlled it. There was a spell when Fiji scored back-to-back tries which Fiji can do well, probably better than anyone else in the world.
“But we stayed composed and got back ahead on the scoreboard and that’s what the players did.”
On preferring France or South Africa in semi-final:
“I have no control over that game. We will watch it with a lot of interest.
“The players were written off. A lot of people said we wouldn’t get out of the pool. We got out of the pool, now we got out of the quarter-final.
“Now these players have an opportunity in Paris in the semi-final. I am sure we will be written off again but these players rise to the occasion.”
Semi Radradra, winger
On his thoughts on the game:
“It’s rugby. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We all know that we gave 110 per cent today. So when we come out from the field from that final result, everyone knew that they gave their all. That makes us happy.
“There’s a lot of learnings as well. We have a lot of young guys, they had a big learning from this game.”
On what went wrong:
“We invited them into the game, we gave them a lot of penalties. Especially playing quarter-finals, playing a big tier one nation, you can’t give them penalties back to back. That’s what cost us in the first half of the game.”
On the referee decisions:
“You can’t control that. As a rugby player, our point of view, we see a different story on the field. It’s the referee’s call and we have to go with it.
“It is what it is, you can’t argue with them.”
On what he was thinking after Fiji drew level with England:
“Everyone was hyped to win the game.”
On the emotions felt by the whole team after Sam Matavesi’s brothers presented his match jersey to him to honour their late father who passed away this week:
“It’s very emotional for everyone. Josh’s (Tuisova) son was lost then Sam Matavesi’s dad passed away.
“It’s really tough on us, but the good thing is we stick together as a brotherhood. Sam is part of our team, part of the family. We are there with him.
“It was his call to play today. It was really big from him to make that call. It was unlucky we didn’t get the win tonight.”
On whether there were tears when Sam received his jersey:
“Not only him and his brothers, the whole room. Everyone. You could see the tears. Emotional, for what the family means to us.”
Isoa Nasilasila, second-row
On his emotions after the game:
“It’s real tough. Really disappointing. We knew that we were able to make it all the way. Unfortunately we didn’t make it this time.
“We’ve grown a real family bond over the last few weeks, we’ve been doing it all together. It’s going to be tough leaving the boys but we’ve all got to get on with it, I guess.”
On Sam Matavesi:
“He’s an awesome bloke. For him to come out and play for his country after going through what he went through, it speaks loads about him. Who he is as a person and as a player. We really felt that on the field, he really came out and he injected himself and he was all over the place. When someone like that is in your team it’s real motivational inspiration, and he’s a big inspiration to all of us.”
On what was said when they prayed after the game:
“Just how far we’ve come. We were disappointed but at the end of the day we don’t make the result. We’re content with what happened. There’s learnings, there’s wins, losses, we’ll take whatever is given.”
Meli Derenalagi, flanker
On the team celebrating despite the loss:
“We’ve come a long way in this World Cup. Even though we are hurt and we didn’t get the result for today’s game but as a brotherhood that we formed and the bond we formed inside the team, like enjoying each other. That’s what family means to us, even though we are far away from our family.
“As a team we try to build a family and a brotherhood and that’s what you can see with our celebrations, even though we lost.”
On the comeback against England just being one of the highlights of this journey:
“Highlights (are) moments that we got to know our identity because every player has been playing together, playing that professional rugby career, but taking them back to where they started. It’s a highlight moment for us all.
“The preparations meant a lot for us, tightening that bond I was mentioning. If one goes down one of the brothers will try to encourage him, try to drag him up again and fight to the end.
“You can see in today’s game, even though we were down 21-10 we encouraged each other we could still have those 10 minutes to score two tries.”
On bringing Fijian style to the quarter-final:
“You can see it in the second half when the impacts came in, a Fijian style like an offload and we scored two tries.”
On using this World Cup as a launchpad:
“We reached the quarter-final in 2007 and after 16 years we reached it again, but we will make sure that the next coming World Cup we will climb higher again.”
Simon Raiwalui, head coach
On whether they were on the wrong side of the referee:
“There’s obviously decisions where they go 50-50. The referees do a brilliant job, it’s the hardest position and you’re isolated. Sure, there’s things that you contest, there’s things that maybe you don’t agree on, but first things first we had opportunities to score, we had opportunities to win the game.
“We’re a huge supporter of every facet of the game and that includes refereeing. They do a wonderful job. They don’t go out there to pick a team and have their favourites. Sometimes there’s mistakes, sometimes the rub of the green doesn’t go your way.
“It is important that we support them and not isolate them. I’m very appreciative of everything they do.”
On Fiji being more than just a team:
“We celebrate together, we suffer together. Sam (Matavesi), whose father passed away recently) obviously came this week and (said) his dad fell gravely ill at the weekend. He was talking about staying but family is family. Family is always first in my life and our lives.
“We wanted to get him back. We knew he would get his role right. The team got around him. His brothers were over here, yesterday they were over to present his jersey which was a really touching moment. It shows the connection between the group.
“It’s more than a team, it really is a family and I think we will have a bond for the rest of our lives.”
On his pride and joy in the team and their performances:
“The pride’s never gone away, it’s there from the beginning until the day I die. These boys are family. Pride doesn’t disappear.
“The joy is there. For 15 weeks these boys have worked hard and we will celebrate that. We’re hurting now in terms of the result but I couldn’t be prouder of this group in terms of what they’ve put in. They’ve built something for the next generation of Fijian rugby players. They’ve laid a foundation.
“We’re hurting at the moment and it will hurt for a long time because it was something we had built and we thought we could go further. The belief in the team has always been there. I’m bursting with pride.”
On his message to the Fijians who watched the game around the world:
“Thank you to every supporter that we have here in France, worldwide, the 900,000 in Fiji that travelled distances to find wifi, to find a connection to watch us.
“We really feel that support since we came in together 15 weeks ago. We wanted to create something different, a connection back to our people, our supporters, and I hope we did them proud.”
On captain Waisea Nayacalevu:
“He’s a good mate. He’s led right from the start when we had the campaign, he was a natural selection as captain. Both on and off the field he set the standards. I can’t say enough of him, as a player, as a man, other than that he’s a good friend. I’m super proud of him.”
Waisea Nayacalevu, captain
On his overwhelming emotions:
“I’m quite emotional at the moment. A lot’s been happening during the week. I’m just proud of the boys, they turned up today. I just ask that we can have a fair decision like every team has, so we can play rugby, so everyone can enjoy the game.”
On frustration with some of the decisions in the match:
“Yeah, I’ll be honest. I was frustrated with a few calls.
“They had already formed a ruck and then (Maro) Itoje just came in and grabbed onto the ball and there was no penalty there. Three times in the game.”
On whether he feels referees have sub-conscious bias against smaller rugby nations:
“Absolutely. You guys watched the game, you guys can answer that.”
Simon Raiwalui, head coach
On feeling this is just the start for a ‘new’ Fiji:
“This is a different Fiji team. I think it is just the start of something special. They wanted to create a new identity, I think they have done that.
“A couple of mistakes today, didn’t take our chances and we paid for it. But like I said, couldn’t be prouder.”
On the emotion of going out in such a manner:
“Bit speechless at the moment. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. We’ve worked so hard from week one, 15 weeks now and they’ve shown where we belong on the world stage. The whole group, 33 players, 52 in total with the staff, it’s a bit of an emotional moment at the moment.”
Waisea Nayacalevu, captain and outside-centre
On being proud of his team:
“I am not perfect, I am not a perfect man but I try to be perfect and I want to say I am really proud of the team today and the effort. Even though we fell short I am proud of the team, the coaching staff, management, our pastor. What a proud moment for us to be here.
“I am so gutted we fell short.”
On his message to the team when they drew level with England late in the second-half:
“I told the boys to keep to our basics, keep the ball; as long as we keep the ball we can get opportunity at the end. Unfortunately some calls didn’t go our way but that’s rugby. I am proud of my boys, been together a long time. Bit of mixed emotion as well, where we’ve come (from), where we are.”
On his message of thanks to the supporters:
“I want to thank our supporters here in the grandstand and our supporters back home. Thank you for all your support throughout this tournament. It’s not easy for us as well but we keep fighting, we fight until the end and I want to give you guys the glory and thank you for supporting us and guiding us and praying for us all throughout this tournament, and for our families, thank you very much for your ongoing support.”
Wonder Lady
1900 was the one and only time that cricket was played at the Paris Olympics. The game was participated in by only two teams – one from England and one from France. According to fans, the length of a match and the limited number of countries that participate in the sport may be to blame. There is some talk that cricket may return to the Games in 2028.
Peanut Butter Woman
The original cricket wickets used only two stumps over which a bail is attached. This design was changed in 1775 after an English cricketer, Lumpy Stevens, was able to bowl three consecutive balls that shot clear between the stumps. This is why modern wickets have three stumps instead of just two.