England head coach Steve Borthwick criticised those who had ‘written off’ his side following a 30-24 win against Fiji in the quarter final of the Rugby World Cup.

Borthwick spoke highly of his players for their performance after having their credentials being put down by fans and pundits alike.

‘A lot of things were said about these England players,’ said the 44-year-old ‘saying we had no chance of getting out of the pool.  

‘We got out of the pool, we got to the quarter-final and now these players have an opportunity in Paris in the semi-final.’

In a back-and-forth match, Fiji managed to draw level in the second half having previously trailed before England captain Owen Farrell scored a drop-goal and penalty to seal the tie for his team.

Fiji, who had previously defeated England in August, received high praise from Borthwick for their performance both in the match and the World Cup as a whole.

The former England captain described Fiji as a ‘great team’ that are ‘well-coached and jam packed full of world class talent.’ He added that his players ‘knew it would be a tough game and it was.’

England will now face South Africa in the semi-final on Saturday with a chance to reach the final on the line.