England fans have not yet bought all their tickets for the quarter-final against Fiji. Photo: Getty Images/Mike Hewitt
Fiji booked their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals against England despite a shock defeat to Portugal in the final match of the tournament on Sunday night.
Portuguese claimed their first-ever victory at RWC. with a 24-23 triumph in Toulouse, but the Fijians still finished second in Group C thanks to the loss of a bonus point for not falling back by more than seven points.
It also confirmed Australia's first-ever exit out of the pool as Eddie Jones' team finished third and he missed the eighth final meeting with his former team.
England secured their place in the knockout stages when Japan beat Japan. Samoa and Steve Borthwick's side ended their Group D campaign with an unconvincing 18-17 win over Samoa.
The quarter-final will be a rematch of England's last warm-up game for this tournament, in which they suffered a shock defeat and The Fijians claimed their first ever victory over England.
There were still 3,000 tickets available for England's quarter-final on Tuesday. Read more here.
Spirituality is at the heart of Fiji's election campaign after Joshua Tuisova skipped his son's funeral to ensure a quarter-final meeting with England. Read more here.
When is it?
England will play Fiji in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Sunday 15 October. The game will start at 16:00 (BST) or 17:00 local time.
Where is it?Stade de Marseille
Capacity: 67,847
The Stade de Marseille has a capacity of 67,847 seats. Photo: PA/Mike Egerton
The historic stadium has been renovated several times since its opening in 1937 and seats 67,847 people. It hosted two quarter-finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In addition to being the home of the Olympique Marseille football team, the stadium hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1938 and 1998.
Who is the referee?
Mathieu Raynal (France). This is the Frenchman's first Rugby World Cup quarter-final as a referee.
- Referee:Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
- Assistant referee 1 :Nick Berry (RA)
- Assistant referee 2: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
- TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)< /li>
How to watch on TV
ITV has exclusive rights to broadcast the Rugby World Cup in the UK. England's quarter-final match will be broadcast on ITV 1.
Read Telegraph Sport's analysis of top TV commentators and pundits.
Radio commentary will only be available on the BBC, Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds. The BBC is offering a 'bespoke programme' in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets for this match are available from the official Rugby World Cup ticket portal.
< p>For the quarter-finals England v Fiji has more than 1,600 tickets left unsold, with around 1,400 also available on the tournament's resale site, writes Ben Coles.
Tickets for all top three categories remain available ahead of the knockout match. at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, which seats 67,000.
Category 3 tickets, the cheapest on offer, cost £98, while top category 1 tickets cost £260 each.
< p>The early exit of Australia, widely expected to be a potential challenger to Group C runners-up England, may have been a factor in dampening interest in the quarter-finals.
In comparison, there are currently 457 tickets left for Wales v Argentina on Saturday at the same venue, with 773 tickets also available for that match on the resale site. The other two quarter-final matches in Paris, between Ireland and New Zealand and then France against South Africa, will be sold out.
None of England's finals against Chile and Samoa in Lille were sold out , despite the shorter distance to the north of France from England.
Steve Borthwick's side kicked off their tournament against Argentina in Marseille with fans having difficulty entering the stadium, leading to a review by tournament organizers who resolved the entry issues in time for South Africa's victory over Scotland the following day.
England Group D results
- Saturday 9 September – England 27 – Argentina 10
- Sunday 17 September – England 34, Japan 12
- Saturday 23 September – England 71, Chile 0
- Saturday 7 October – England 18, Samoa 17
Fiji Group C results
- Sunday 10 September – Wales 32 – Fiji 26
- Sunday 17 September – Australia 15 Fiji 22
- Saturday 30 September – Fiji 17 Georgia 12
- Sunday, October 8 – Fiji 23 Portugal 24
Latest news Fiji rally around Tuisova after loss of son
Fiona Thomas
Fiji captain Vaisea Nayakalevu praised his teammate Josua Tuisova for playing in heartache at the World Cup after the star center missed his son's funeral to stay at the tournament.
Tuisova found out about his seven-year-old son spent several hours before taking part in Fiji's game with Georgia. It started with the Pacific Islanders' defeat to Portugal on Sunday, which was enough to guarantee a quarter-final meeting with England in Marseille this weekend.
Tuisova, whose son died after a long illness, revealed his spiritual side as he took to the field in Toulouse, writing on his bracelet several words relating to his family, including a Bible verse denoting strength and courage.
Tuisova played 70 minutes in Fiji's defeat to Portugal. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster
“Everyone was upset by the news and we were all trying to take care of him,” Nayakalevu said. “He was sad, but he’s really strong. If it were me, I don't know if I could do what he does. We keep encouraging him and telling him he's okay. He [Tuisova’s son] went to a better place. Life goes on.
“He dealt with it well and controlled his emotions well. I'm proud of him and proud of the sacrifice he made for the team. He's stuck with us. I can't put into words how grateful I am to him for doing this for the team. If you were him, you would know – you would feel what he is like.”
What is England's path to the final?
England exited Group D in first place, ahead of Argentina. Having finished top of their group, Borthwick's men will face Group C runners-up Fiji, who have been hot and cold at this tournament.
Only if they reach the semi-finals will England advance to the finish line. A team ranked in the top five in the world will have to play. And in a one-off elimination match, it's anyone's game. Next stop: the final?
Full World Cup schedule can be found here.
Who's in the England team?
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