Fiji vs England to be played in Liverpool
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2026 8:05 pm
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/ ... ugby-union
There are benefits for Fiji, in that they will be able to make a lot more money from having their "home" fixture there, selling 53,000 tickets at a far higher price than they could've done if it were played in South Africa, Spain, or Fiji (as previous rumoured plans have set). There are also benefits for England, in showcasing an international match in the North and spreading the game.
However, the logistics are madness. England face one of two fun options. Either we fly our 1st XV: 1) from London to South Africa to play on 4th July, 2) from South Africa to Liverpool to play on 11th July, 3) from Liverpool to Argentina to play on 18th July, 4) from Argentina to London for any survivors to be repatriated. Or we pick two squads, where one goes to South Africa and then gets two weeks to acclimatise to Argentina, and one stays in the UK and plays Fiji, which smacks more than a little bit of the selection bollocks that goes on in the ERC.
I think I'd prefer the latter option, as I *think* our A-team has enough in the tank to beat Fiji in an effective home match (as long as they're coached by Borthwick et al and not Mark Mapletoft), but Fiji are too good for us to engage in this kind of shenanigans and it could eaily backfire on us.
Puja
There are benefits for Fiji, in that they will be able to make a lot more money from having their "home" fixture there, selling 53,000 tickets at a far higher price than they could've done if it were played in South Africa, Spain, or Fiji (as previous rumoured plans have set). There are also benefits for England, in showcasing an international match in the North and spreading the game.
However, the logistics are madness. England face one of two fun options. Either we fly our 1st XV: 1) from London to South Africa to play on 4th July, 2) from South Africa to Liverpool to play on 11th July, 3) from Liverpool to Argentina to play on 18th July, 4) from Argentina to London for any survivors to be repatriated. Or we pick two squads, where one goes to South Africa and then gets two weeks to acclimatise to Argentina, and one stays in the UK and plays Fiji, which smacks more than a little bit of the selection bollocks that goes on in the ERC.
I think I'd prefer the latter option, as I *think* our A-team has enough in the tank to beat Fiji in an effective home match (as long as they're coached by Borthwick et al and not Mark Mapletoft), but Fiji are too good for us to engage in this kind of shenanigans and it could eaily backfire on us.
Puja