ENGLAND will face the losers of Monday night’s France versus Samoa clash at Wigan’s DW Stadium next Saturday in the quarter finals of the Rugby League World Cup.

That follows a hard-earned 34-12 victory at KC Stadium in Hull against Fiji, who will also play in the last eight at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium next Sunday against the winners of Monday night’s game in Perpignan.

The scoreline may suggest England had things all their own way this afternoon, but the story could not have been different in front of a shell-shocked 25,114 crowd.

It was only 6-6 at half time and the islanders had given as good as they had got.

From the start, after a minute's applause marking the death of former St Helens, Hull and Wakefield full back Steve Prescott this morning, it was clear that the Fijian team were ‘up’ for the battle.

England were throwing a lot of varied attacking play at the islanders but they were sticking to the task and responding.

So much so it took until the 21st minute for anything close to a try, South Sydney Rabbitohs’ man-of-the-match Sam Burgess losing the ball in the act of stretching to score out of a tackle by North Queensland Cowboys prop Ashton Sims – one of three brothers in the Fijian line-up.

At the other end video referee Shayne Hayne came to England’s rescue in the 26th minute.

Warrington’s Ben Westwood and Canterbury’s James Graham crunched Ashton Sims but Fiji got themselves organised from his delayed play-the-ball, with Ryan Millard’s grubber kick being fumbled by Wigan’s Sam Tomkins and touched down by his older brother Daryl Millard – the Catalan Dragons centre.

But Hayne spotted an obstruction in back play and the effort was chalked off to the disgust of the sky blue camp.

There was no help when Fijian championship player Eloni Vunakece stormed home from a Kevin Naiqama pass though a few minutes later, taking advantage of a hole in the defence at the side of Leeds Rhinos’ Rob Burrow. Waisale Ligani Naiqama added the conversion.

England needed a response and it came when skipper Kevin Sinfield dummied, took a tackle and fed over Westwood two minutes before half time. Sinfield’s boot sent the teams into the break all square.

England’s approach was more direct in the second period, less width initially and more breaking up Fiji around the ruck – with Warrington’s Chris Hill and Sam Burgess to the fore.

And that stemmed from the whistle, with Sam Burgess winning possession from the re-start and finishing the set with a charge-over try from short range. Sinfield’s extras made it 12-6.

A penalty for offside allowed Steve McNamara’s men to raid again and a lovely slip ball from Warrington’s Chris Hill to Salford’s Rangi Chase allowed the half back to supply Huddersfield’s Brett Ferres on the angle for England’s third converted try, making it 18-6 after 44 minutes.

Leeds winger Ryan Hall did well to stay a gnat’s whisker inside the touchline for try number four in the 50th minute, with Sinfield’s touchline conversion extending the lead by another six points and sealing the win.

Hill’s break off a Sinfield inside pass paved the way for England to cross again in the 56th minute, South Sydney Rabbitohs’ George Burgess continuing the rush forward and handing on for Burrow to finish off.

Sinfield banged over the goal for 30-6 but he was off the mark from the touchline after Tomkins sent Hall into the corner for his second of the afternoon.

Fiji did not throw in the towel, fighting back with a try from Semi Radradra Turagasoli Waqavatu converted by Waisale Ligani Naiqama in the 73rd minute for 34-12.

Westwood will have an anxious wait as disciplinary chiefs decide if he has a case to answer for an offence of leading with the forearm in the 75th minute, the incident being placed on report by whistler Ben Cummins after the video referee’s adjudication.

England: 1 Sam Tomkins; 2 Tom Briscoe, 3 Kallum Watkins, 4 Leroy Cudjoe, 5 Ryan Hall; 6 Rangi Chase, 7 Kevin Sinfield; 8 Sam Burgess, 9 Michael McIlorum, 10 James Graham, 11 Brett Ferres, 12 Ben Westwood, 13 Sean O'Loughlin. Subs: 14 Rob Burrow, 15 Liam Farrell, 16 Chris Hill, 17 George Burgess.

Fiji: 1 Kevin Naiqama; 2 Marika Koroibete, 3 Daryl Millard, 4 Waisale Ligani Naiqama, 5 Semi Radradra Turagasoli Waqavatu; 6 Ryan Millard, 7 Aaron Groom; 8 Ashton Sims, 9 James Storer, 10 Petero Civoniceva, 11 Jayson Bukuya, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Korbin Sims. Subs: 15 Eloni Vunakece, 16 Peni Botiki, 17 Vitale Junior Roqica, 18 Kane Evans.