England could scarcely be heading to the Rugby World Cup in worse shape after a run of five defeats in six games which has left key players injured or suspended, raised questions about coach Steve Borthwick's approach and hit fans' morale.
England lost for the first time ever to Fiji when they went down 22-30 in a warm-up at their Twickenham home on Saturday.
Opening Pool D opponents Argentina and Japan will have every confidence they can upset the 2019 finalists, with England's defence in particular leaking an average of around four tries per game across the summer series of warm-up fixtures.
"We slipped off too many tackles and whilst that has not been the case in previous games it was today and it's an area we clearly need to get right in two weeks' time," Borthwick said looking ahead to next month's tournament in France.
However, England's woes are many. Talisman Owen Farrell is suspended for the potentially decisive opening two games after a red card in the warm-ups, while their only specialist No 8 Billy Vunipola is also ruled out after a red in the defeat by Ireland.
Joe Marler escaped a card for an upright-looking tackle on Saturday, with Borthwick saying he had no view on whether the prop could face disciplinary action if the incident is reviewed.
"I'm very happy with this squad of players," he said, adding that where previous England squads had succumbed to in-fighting when results turned, this group were pulling together.
Combative flanker Tom Curry and prop Kyle Sinckler are among the injured, as are wingers Elliot Daly and Henry Arundell, with England already having ruled out scrum half Jack van Poortvliet and winger Anthony Watson for the tournament.
Courtney Lawes on the occasion of his 100th cap for England had few answers for reporters on how England might improve before their game against Argentina on September 9.
Quicksilver young first five-eighth Marcus Smith, who has lately lost his starting place, offered one of the few positives on Saturday with a try that may strengthen calls for him to be reinstated in a bid to revive England's moribund attack.
'Special Fiji team'
Fiji, meanwhile, are gathering momentum, with the team adding discipline and defensive determination to their usual qualities of dynamic running and fast hands.
"We don't get to play too often at Twickenham," coach Simon Raiwalui said, hailing Saturday's victory that was all the sweeter for showcasing some of the side's less heralded qualities.
"People think of Fijian-style rugby as throwing it around, but it's also about collisions, and being the best side we can be," Raiwalui said.
Fiji have worked on fitness and decision-making in particular, he said ahead of the World Cup in which they open their campaign against Wales on September 10.
Raiwalui said the creation of the Fijian Drua Super Rugby side has done much to give his under-resourced squad more experience, with the results clear to see on the pitch.
"The gap is closing," he said of Fiji's recent results as well as those of other nations such as Japan and Georgia who operate just below the game's traditional top-tier powerhouses of the Rugby Championship and Six Nations.
"The Drua has been huge for us, we've been able to expose 40 to 50 players to playing at the highest level in Super Rugby," Raiwalui said.
Fiji have often looked better on paper than in the crucible of a tournament proper as set-piece woes and poor preparation prevent their ball-playing stars from shining, but Raiwalui and captain Waisea Nayacalevu think this team can go further.
"This group of boys compared to other ones we've had feels special."
Ireland survive scare
Ireland avoided a slip-up against impressive Samoa by coming from behind late on to complete their World Cup preparations with an uninspiring 17-13 win in Bayonne, France on Saturday that did little to make a case for some of the fringe players.
While it was a day to forget in the miserable French rain for the world's top-ranked side, Samoa showed they will be no World Cup pushovers on a big day for the Pacific Nations.
Ireland also lost Cian Healy to a serious looking injury on a day he became the country's most capped forward with his 125th appearance. The loosehead prop has played an important role off the bench in closing some of Ireland's biggest recent wins.
Starting with a largely second-string but still formidable side, Ireland led early through a fine team try finished by O'Brien but their lineout and scrum soon began to malfunction to invite their lowly opponents into the game.
Samoa, ranked 11 places below the Six Nations Grand Slam winners, duly accepted with Duncan Paia'aua intercepting a poor Stuart McCloskey pass to run the field and Lima Sopoaga adding a conversion and penalty for a shock 10-7 halftime lead.
First-five Jack Crowley, battling for a spot as Johnny Sexton's understudy, was one of the only stand-in players to emerge with any credit from a dreadful half. It was a first start to forget for 22-year-old hooker Tom Stewart as Ireland lost five of their 12 lineouts.
Sopoaga extended the advantage to six points early in the second half before Ireland cut out the errors and a Conor Murray try reduced the deficit to a point. Still Samoa kept coming, their impressive line speed causing all sorts of problems.
Ireland needed to empty their experienced bench and hooker Rob Herring, who shored up his place on the plane by not losing a lineout after coming on, went over on 64 minutes to punches in the air from relieved team mates.
Other matches
Scotland’s search for the full "80-minute performance" goes on as they stumbled and stuttered in the first half of Saturday’s 33-6 win over Georgia, before scoring five tries in the second period to cruise to victory at Murrayfield.
It was, in the end, a comprehensive final World Cup warm-up win for the hosts, but coach Gregor Townsend admits they made it hard on themselves at the start.
Wing Monty Ioane scored a hat-trick of tries as Italy completed their preparations with a 42-21 victory over Japan in Treviso on Saturday, though the visitors were in the contest up to the final few minutes.
The first half was even and Italy led 17-11 at the break, eventually running in five tries as scrumhalf Stephen Varney and replacement back Martin Page-Relo also crossed for scores.
Japan did their best to keep pressure on their hosts, but Italy pulled clear with two late scores to cap a morale-boosting win, which is just the tonic for coach Kieran Crowley ahead of a daunting Pool A at the World Cup that also includes hosts France and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, struggling Australia play World Cup tournament hosts France at the Stade de France on Sunday.
Australia have lost all four tests in 2023 as the return of Eddie Jones as coach has yet to bear fruit. He has dumped a number of their experienced players and opted for youth, meaning several of his squad have not played in France before. Their first Cup match is against Georgia on September 9.
