England were pushed until the end by Fiji but had just enough class to return to the semi-finals.
The class of Owen Farrell proved the difference as they came away with the 30-24 win in Marseille.
Watch every game of the Rugby World Cup LIVE on Stan Sport. Start watching Stan Sport now.
Fiji showed incredible tenacity to stay in the contest and mount the comeback, only to fall agonisingly close of their first semi-final.
So what did we learn?
1 COMETH THE HOUR, COMETH THE MAN
Owen Farrell stepped up and delivered an inspirational performance when England needed it the most.
He had a hand in both of their tries early whilst continuing to tick the scoreboard over with the boot.
It proved the difference in the end, with Fiji missing three penalties to get them back in the contest.
Farrell is the definition of a big game player and will play a major role in their semi final against the winner of South Africa and France.
Marcus Smith provides a great foil at fullback, injecting energy when he took the ball to the line
2. FOUNDATIONS SET
Now is the time to capitalise on the growth of Fiji after coming so close to a famous win.
The comeback was inspirational as they defied the 14-point deficit the level the scores with ten minutes remaining.
In the end, it was the big game experience that proved the difference, with Farrell closing out the game as Fiji went backwards in attack.
Heading into the next World Cup in 2027, Fiji needs to be exposed to more games like this, whether that is scheduling more Tests against the likes of New Zealand and Australia or permanent inclusion in the Rugby Championship.
3. SEMI MAGIC
Semi Radradra did everything in his power to get Fiji back in the contest.
He constantly bumped off tackles and produced two crucial line breaks in the space of 18 minutes to keep Fiji in the contest.
The winger also showed off the playmaking ability to put Isoa Nasilasila through the line to set up the game-tieing try as one of four of his offloads.
His presence was missed in the defeat to Portugal and Fijians fans will be hoping there’s still enough left in the tank for a run at the World Cup in four years time
4. SET PIECE DOMINANCE
Steve Borthwick’s style of play isn’t pretty but it’s effective.
It plays the strengths of English Rugby: keep the ball tight and bring Fiji into a set-piece-focused game, which worked for the first 60 minutes.
It delivered the necessary results, winning multiple penalties at scrum time, stealing several line outs and causing the Fijians' maul havoc.
This shone through in the final minutes as the English put Fiji under significant pressure, forcing the mistakes.
When they made it down into Fiji’s half, often it ended in points thanks to Farrell.
The constant pressure allowed England’s brutal centre partnership to run riot, with 32-year-old Manu Tuilagi continuing the trend of older players making their mark in the quarter-finals.
5. FIJIAN FLAIR
Viliame Mata’s silkily dummy and try showed whilst the Fijians are embracing a more structured style, there’s still room for the freakish play when it's on.
The Fijians have looked dangerous when they attack but have noticeably struggled to turn them into tries until the final quarter, when they caused England headaches
They sat 14th heading into the quarter-finals with just nine and 16th for clean breaks.
If they want to consistently compete with the top nations, they need to find that attacking edge again, not just relying on going up in threes. There are several teams ranked above them who do it much better
