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From the moment the trumpeter's microphone failed during the Last Post, this always had the feel of a chaotic night at Twickenham.
The stadium's Tannoy malfunctioned during the minute's silence and the bedlam spilled onto the pitch through these feisty Fijians.
Even Joe Marler was lost for words as he was paraded around the pitch at half-time to his adoring audience of Traitors fans.
'It's not quite how I was expecting things to go,' said the former prop after the watched Englishmen being manhandled by Josua Tuisova for the first 40 minutes
Things did not always go England's way but most importantly they found a way to win – and in the end they won convincingly.
They secured a ninth straight victory, with no roundtable plot twist as their stacked bench delivered another final-quarter finishing job.
England were up against a strong Fiji side but found a way to win their ninth straight match
Fiji's Josua Tuisova was a thorn in England's side during the first 40 minutes at Twickenham
Former England player and Celebrity Traitors star was paraded to an adoring crowd at half time
Cohesion is one of Borthwick's key metrics this autumn. Studies show that England's 2003-winning team were one of the most cohesive teams to have played the game, with Sir Clive Woodward using proven combinations across his team. Modern analysts have created an algorithm to measure team cohesion and England's target is to hit the sweet spot by the World Cup.
Ollie Lawrence delivered a performance in midfield worthy of a start against the All Blacks and the key selection remains at No10. Who will be given of control of England's attack over the next 24 months? Eddie Jones, one of Steve Borthwick's close confidantes, has told him to back Fin Smith all the way to Sydney.
The Springboks have found a winning formula based around rotating their playmakers but England would surely benefit from keeping Smith in the hotseat as they try to build their attacking game.
It took them the best part of an hour to contain the Pacific Islanders, with Tuisova delivering the most destructive individual performance we could see at Twickenham this autumn.
He steamrolled his opposite number, Fraser Dingwall, and turned over English ball inside his own. What England would give to have such a physical specimen in their ranks.
Any pre-conceptions about Fiji playing unconventional rugby were quickly proven wrong. They repelled England's attacking maul and quickly hit back after Luke Cowan-Dickie's opening try.
Targeting Imannuel Feyi-Waboso's wing with contestable kicks, the hosts were penalised for blocking and Tevita Ikanivere scored from the subsequent lineout. The speed of their driving maul made the English pack look lightweight without Maro Itoje.
Errors crept into the game and Fiji thrived. Ben Earl fumbled the ball at a ruck and Alex Coles was penalised at the ruck. Tommy Freeman pushed up too high in defence and the Fijians found space, cutting loose through Kitione Salawa Jr's offloading game. Simione Kuruvoli chipped the ball over Marcus Smith and Caleb Muntz gathered to score. At times, their attacking game flowed across the pitch like liquid gold.
Ollie Lawrence has thrown himself into contention for a midfield start against the All Blacks
Fiji's attack was at times scintillating and saw them slice through England at Twickenham
Lawrence fumbled the ball and Alex Mitchell passed the ball straight into touch.
During their preparations at Pennyhill Park, England have been watching clips of the Last Dance. The Netflix series about the Chicago Bulls has been a pillar of their aerial analysis, using Dennis Rodman's ability to pick-up rebounds as inspiration under the high ball.
Eventually, England started to get some returns for their aerial game.
When Selestino Ravutaumada was sin-binned for a reckless shot on Feyi-Waboso, England wrestled back momentum, with the winger gathering Smith's crossfield kick to score.
'Absolute carnage,' were Marler's choice half-time words, although this time he was describing how it felt to fall at the final hurdle at the Traitors' castle.
Discipline stunted English progress but Freeman chased kicks and moved his team up the pitch. Running a ball back from halfway, Ben Earl and Fin Smith switched play before Lawrence charged upfield. The centre was hauled down just short but Ellis Genge was on hand to score.
Steve Borthwick hopes his side can be fully cohesive by the time the World Cup rolls around
Ikanivere scored another from a lineout move but England's bomb squad arrived to save the day.
Before kick-off, fans gathered around the big screen to watch Scotland's game against New Zealand. The All Blacks showed a defensive resolve in the final quarter than Fiji did not have.
Tuisova was penalised for running offside in defence before Jamie George scored from a driving maul. Fin Smith pinned back the Fijians with a 50-22 and they turned the screw in the closing minutes.
Marcus Smith sent a grubber kick down the wing which was gathered for a Henry Arundell try. With Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck both recovering from injuries, both players will be pushing for re-selection next weekend.
Maro Itoje scored in the 75th minute to land the final blow. The scoreline flattered England but, most importantly, they found a way to come through the chaos.
