Steve Borthwick says England head into their World Cup quarter-final stronger following a narrow win over Samoa, which saw Owen Farrell surpass Jonny Wilkinson's points record; Bath's Sam Underhill called up to squad; England will play Australia or Fiji in Marseille next weekend
Sunday 8 October 2023 12:12, UK
England may have scraped home against a superb Samoa side on Saturday, but coach Steve Borthwick believes it was just the test they needed ahead of the World Cup quarter-finals.
It was a below-par showing as a Danny Care try seven minutes from full-time in Lille earned England an 18-17 victory they scarcely deserved, but it was enough to complete four wins in Pool D and maintain momentum going into a likely knockout game against Fiji.
"First things first, immense credit to Samoa, they played brilliantly, like it was their World Cup final," said Borthwick.
"They forced us into a lot of errors.
"But looking to next week, we wanted a tough test and we got it.
"There were lots of errors and scrappiness.
"But the players got hold of it on the pitch and found a way to get the result.
"We were put under pressure and there were periods where we weren't of the required standard."
England will know their quarter-final opponents on Sunday when Fiji play Portugal, needing a point to finish second in Pool C ahead of Australia.
Borthwick will not allow himself to think about that game just yet but thinks England have shown they can prove their critics wrong.
"It's highly likely we face Fiji but we are preparing for all eventualities," he said.
"A lot has been said about this England team and what they do in tough circumstances - you see a team now who finds a way, that never stops.
"Some of these players have been written off quite badly, some said we wouldn't get out of the group stage, but I always said we would be ready when the big players perform on the big stages."
Fly-half Owen Farrell kicked two penalties and a conversion to break Jonny Wilkinson's record for most England points in Tests, moving to 1,186.
"Not too many thoughts about that, it's a massive honour to be around long enough to [break the record]," said Farrell.
"The lads gave me a framed picture in the changing room which was nice."
There was one unusual moment for him against Samoa when he became the first kicker at the World Cup to go past the 60 seconds allowed to take a shot at goal, and his effort did not count.
"I was unaware, I didn't see the clock and got lost in the kick," he said.
"But it's not good enough and luckily it didn't cost us."
England will face Fiji or Australia on Sunday October 15 in Marseille, with kick-off at 4pm BST.
Sam Underhill has been added to Borthwick's squad ahead of that game. The Bath Rugby back-row forward replaces Jack Willis, who has had to head home due to a neck injury.
Samoa are now out of the competition, with either Argentina or Japan the team who will take the second Pool D spot and go through to the next stage.
