WAINIQOLO LEADS FIJI AGAINST ENGLAND IN NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

Jiuta Wainiqolo finished the Top 14 season with 18 tries in 20 matches for Lyon, leading the French top-flight try-scoring standings ahead of Louis Bielle-Biarrey of Bordeaux Bègles, who recorded 13 tries. The 27-year-old Fiji wing will face England on Saturday in a Nations Championship fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool. Wainiqolo produced what he described as one of the tries of 2025 at Test level, gathering a backward ball deep in his own half, evading four Australia defenders, and setting up a try for Lekima Tagitagivalu.

Wainiqolo attributed some of his power and evasiveness to football training methods he continues to employ. He represented Fiji's under-20 football team and trained alongside players who later progressed to senior international rugby and professional clubs in New Zealand and Australia. He stated that agility drills from his football background remain part of his current training regimen. The wing said Fiji would prioritise physicality against England, having lost to Wales 39-24 in their previous match.

England will play Norway in a World Cup quarter-final on the same day. Wainiqolo observed that England faced South Africa, ranked world number one, and suggested Fiji possessed greater physical strength than the South African side. The match will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, and the BBC Sport website and app, with live text commentary accompanying coverage.