There was plenty to celebrate for Leicester Tigers players on international duty this weekend.
Dan Cole and Ben Youngs played their part as England secured a first series victory in Australia while Seremaia Bai and Vereniki Goneva won the 2016 Pacific Nations Cup title with Fiji.
Goneva started at centre while Bai was a huge influence at fly-half in their game against Samoa in Suva, Fiji.
Indeed Bai gave Fiji the perfect start with a first-minute penalty. However, it was quickly cancelled out by Tusi Pisi.
Pisi kicked two more penalties for Samoa, who took advantage of a yellow card for Waisea Nayacalevu to score through hooker Motu Matu’u and hold a 16-3.
Bai converted a try by Fiji captain Sunia Koto’s to cut the deficit to six points at the break.
Fiji dominated the second period, scoring 16 unanswered points. Bai kicked three penalties and converted a try by Patrick Osbourne to wrap up the Pacific Nations Cup title.
Opeti Fonua was on the losing side with Tonga as David Kacharava scored a try in injury time to give Georgia a 23-20 victory in Suva.
New signing JP Pietersen was a winner with South Africa as they came from 16 points down with 16 minutes remaining against Ireland to win 32-26 in Johannesburg. The result levelled the three-Test series and set up a winner-takes-all decider in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
Another new signing, hooker George McGuigan, helped England Saxons secure a series win with a second victory in South Africa A on Friday evening.
The Saxons fought back from 26-8 down to win 29-26 in George. Tommy Taylor (2), Matt Kvesic and Christian Wade were the try-scorers as the Saxons followed up their 32-24 victory in the first Test to secure a series win.
The senior England side followed suit on Saturday lunch time with Cole and Youngs to the fore as England beat Australia 23-7 on the back of a gutsy defensive display in Melbourne.
England led 10-0 after a try from captain Dylan Hartley before Australia hit back with a score from hooker Stephen Moore.
But Owen Farrell's second penalty of the day gave England a six-point lead in the second half and he kept the pressure on the hosts by punishing any indiscipine with his kicking while also adding a vital try to stretch the England advantage as the tourists' defence stood up to a Wallabies assault to wrap up the historic win.
Dan Cole and Ben Youngs played their part as England secured a first series victory in Australia while Seremaia Bai and Vereniki Goneva won the 2016 Pacific Nations Cup title with Fiji.
Goneva started at centre while Bai was a huge influence at fly-half in their game against Samoa in Suva, Fiji.
Indeed Bai gave Fiji the perfect start with a first-minute penalty. However, it was quickly cancelled out by Tusi Pisi.
Pisi kicked two more penalties for Samoa, who took advantage of a yellow card for Waisea Nayacalevu to score through hooker Motu Matu’u and hold a 16-3.
Bai converted a try by Fiji captain Sunia Koto’s to cut the deficit to six points at the break.
Fiji dominated the second period, scoring 16 unanswered points. Bai kicked three penalties and converted a try by Patrick Osbourne to wrap up the Pacific Nations Cup title.
Opeti Fonua was on the losing side with Tonga as David Kacharava scored a try in injury time to give Georgia a 23-20 victory in Suva.
New signing JP Pietersen was a winner with South Africa as they came from 16 points down with 16 minutes remaining against Ireland to win 32-26 in Johannesburg. The result levelled the three-Test series and set up a winner-takes-all decider in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
Another new signing, hooker George McGuigan, helped England Saxons secure a series win with a second victory in South Africa A on Friday evening.
The Saxons fought back from 26-8 down to win 29-26 in George. Tommy Taylor (2), Matt Kvesic and Christian Wade were the try-scorers as the Saxons followed up their 32-24 victory in the first Test to secure a series win.
The senior England side followed suit on Saturday lunch time with Cole and Youngs to the fore as England beat Australia 23-7 on the back of a gutsy defensive display in Melbourne.
England led 10-0 after a try from captain Dylan Hartley before Australia hit back with a score from hooker Stephen Moore.
But Owen Farrell's second penalty of the day gave England a six-point lead in the second half and he kept the pressure on the hosts by punishing any indiscipine with his kicking while also adding a vital try to stretch the England advantage as the tourists' defence stood up to a Wallabies assault to wrap up the historic win.
