RWC: England 35-11 Fiji Rugby World Cup 2015 RESULT - 'It should have stood!' Sir Clive Woodward backs Nikola Matawalu after TMO decision denies blistering, disallowed try as hosts edge thrilling opener

Not a classic England performance by any means, and plenty to work on for Stuart Lancaster's men but the hosts showed real determination on the opening day, fighting right to the end and, most importantly, they take away five points.

On to the next one.

Robshaw told ITV: 'At the beginning we made a couple of errors but I think that was all due to the emotion that was involved today - the opening of the World Cup, something new, the week, but I think to get five points out of the game is a fantastic start.'

A win is a win is a win. It wasn't always convincing but England got the job done. They stayed clear of the calamity of defeat even if their early mastery dimmed and Fiji gave them moments for concern. Wales will be a sterner test next Saturday but England have a bonus point after their late try, they are up and running in the 2015 World Cup and that is all that matters.

England get the full five points having won the game and gained the CRUCIAL bonus point following the fourth, late try. But England have a lot to do and had to use the full 80 minutes. Full credit for keeping the ball alive, though, at the end, breaking tackles and running straight.

BONUS POINTS FOR ENGLAND! Mike Brown bursts through AGAIN deep into Fiji territory and looks certain to score but he is tap-tackled superbly! The ball's recycled to Jonny May who then looks set to score but is held up. Billy Vunipola then get his hands on the ball, bursting through. After a lengthy TMO review, he was said to have got the ball down and not short, despite Nikola Matawalu's best efforts. The conversion was then sent over the posts by Farrell. Amazing end to a bizarre game!

Farrell is tackled but great communication from Mike Brown means Farrell knows to throw it up the back door, as he's brought down. Brown juggles the ball before having the wherewithal to get low and touch the ball down. After the try Brown burst through brilliantly again into the Fiji half and won his team a lot of ground.

Nervousness has crept into England's play as they have been unable to put the Fijians away. The tenor of the evening has changed after the early exchanges of the first half when everything seemed so bright. The performance has become more scrappy and undisciplined and England are throwing on their substitutes to safeguard the victory. After a fine start, there is much to work on before the clash with Wales.

England supporters were left baffled a few minutes ago when La Marseillaise started ringing around Twickenham in the second half, with pockets of French fans waving the Tricolor popping up all around the stadium. The ticket ballot has ensured there will be an international feel at all matches and fans of Argentina, Scotland, Wales and Ireland could be seen wearing their colours too (... all supporting Fiji no doubt!).

Replacement No 10 Owen Farrell kicks home from a penalty with his first kick in a World Cup.

Nemani Nadolo has been breaking tackles and drawing comparisons to Jonah Lomu. Fiji won a penalty and Ben Volavola scored, taking the responsibility from Nadolo. Before that they had squandered 11 kicking points. 

Brad Barritt and George Ford come off for Burgess and Farrell, respectively.

Two big challenges from firstly Courtney Lawes, and then Launchbury on Nadolo. England now picking and going several times. Wigglesworth is having an impression on the game at the breakdowns. Fiji look tired, particularly prop Manasa Saulo.

Wasps's 24-year-old lock Joe Launchbury comes on, as does Saracens No 9 Richard Wigglesworth, prop Mako Vunipola and brother, Billy. Off go Youngs, Parling, Marler and Morgan.

England look to be keeping the ball in play as much as possible, here. With Fiji having a lot of big units in their team will Lancaster's men hope to pick off their opponents towards the end of the game?

After a good driving maul from England, the ball came to Watson who was hit well in the tackle, before Brad Barritt blocked off and gave away a penalty. Frustrating for England but fine, clever play from the Fiji side.

What a strange half of rugby, punctuated by handling errors from both sides. A pre-match downpour can't have helped but nerves no doubt played a big part. England will be happy with their pack's performance, in the main, but need more from their half-backs. This is a huge 10 minutes for George Ford as he has looked intimated so far and the conditions and opposition suddenly look more suited to Owen Farrell.

Ford makes clean contact with his kick from a penalty just before the break but it doesn't have the legs to go over the goalposts. England ahead by 10 points after the first-half.

Jonathan Joseph and Ben Morgan have been the standout players for me so far. Joseph's quick-thinking put Mike Brown over after George Ford and Brad Barritt had dallied and it was Joseph's delayed pass that nearly put Anthony Watson through. Ben Morgan is back to his usual intelligent, marauding self off the back of the scrum.

From a central position, and a long way out, the 27-year-old Crusaders man swept the ball between the posts beautifully.

Really poor England scrum from own put in; they got shoved off their own ball. Volavola hit a pinpoint kick to 20 stone Nemani Nadolo, who held off Anthony Watson to catch and touch down. Conversion missed.

Tom Wood gets held into the scrum and it's a thing of wonder from the Fiji scrum-half Nikola Matawalu! He burst away, used great upper-body strength and looked to touch the ball over the line. But as the referee was about to allow the imminent conversion, the big screen at Twickenham showed there was clear separation as the No 9 tried to touch down - Mike Brown put enough pressure on to prevent the try!

England impressive and Fiji look overawed by the occasion. This is turning into the perfect opening match for the hosts. All the tension is disappearing as their advantage grows and grows and they are using the match to find their groove. Remember that before the game, most said the Fijians would be a tough test. It's not looking that way at the moment. So far, this is ideal preparation for the Wales game next weekend and the type of performance that will heighten fervour in the country.

Wood collected posession, recycled the ball and after some swift hands full-back Brown eased over the line from a few yards out.

Fiji have been incredibly indisciplined. Penalty given against them again - Ratuniyarawa went in on skipper Robshaw and the TMO has said the Fiji man used the shoulder. Fiji have got to be cuter, here.

That might be game over already. England 10-0 up and Fiji down to 14 men with scrum-half Nikola Matawalu in the sin-bin – the hosts are in a commanding position. Fiji were talked up as an improving force up front but they are being blasted into submission by the England pack so far.

Penalty try to England! England are awarded a penalty try following a powerful rolling maul that came from the penalty given against Waqaniburotu. It was then expertly converted by Ford.

Fiji No 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu lifted a marauding Jonny May beyond the horizontal but it was not deemed unsafe enough to warrant a yellow card.

It’s taken England less than two minutes to make a mockery of their own pre-match claims on behalf of the Fiji scrum. The hosts went out of their way to suggest that the islanders would pose a major threat in that area but the first set-piece encounter has led to the first England penalty and the first points of this World Cup.

I think that's what they call a nervy opening minute! Errors from both sides but it's England who come out on top... no thanks to that kick-off mix-up or stray pass from Ben Youngs.

The penalty was given out wide, left, and Volavola missed from a very tight angle.

Fly-half George Ford pings a penalty through the posts. England have their first points of the tournament.

England: 15 – Mike Brown; 14 – Anthony Watson, 13 – Jonathan Joseph, 12 – Brad Barritt, 11 – Jonny May; 10 – George Ford; 9 – Ben Youngs; 1 – Joe Marler, 2 – Tom Youngs, 3 – Dan Cole, 4 – Geoff Parling, 5 –Courtney Lawes, 6 –Tom Wood, 7 – Chris Robshaw, 8 – Ben Morgan.

Replacements: 16 – Rob Webber, 17 – Mako Vunipola, 18 – Kieran Brookes, 19 – Joe Launchbury, 20 – Billy Vunipola, 21 – Richard Wigglesworth, 22 – Owen Farrell, 23 – Sam Burgess.

Fiji: 15 – Metuisela Talebula; 14 – Waisea Nayacalevu, 13 – Vereniki Goneva, 12 – Gabiriele Lovobalavu, 11 – Nemani Nadolo; 10 – Ben Volavola, 9 – Nikola Matawalu; 1 – Campese Ma’afu, 2 – Sunia Koto, 3 – Manasa Saulo; 4 – Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 5 – Leone Nakarawa; 6 – Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 7 – Akapusi Qera, 8 – Sakiusa Masi Matadigo.

Replacements: 16 –Talemaitoga Tuapati, 17 – Peni Ravai, 18 – Isei Colati, 19 – Tevita Cavubati, 20 – Peceli Yato, 21 – Nemia Kenatale, 22 – Joshua Matavesi, 23 – Asaeli Tikoirotuma.

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MARTIN CASTROGIOVANNI: From Italian food to beers after games, Martin Castrogiovanni lifts the lid on life behind the scenes - including what he really eats - as the Italy prop prepares for his fourth Rugby World Cup... 

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Supporters inside Twickenham have just been shown a video on the big screens designed to explain some of rugby’s complex laws. That will be a significant challenge during this tournament – illuminating the mysteries of the game for those who are not familiar with it. There’s no denying it - simplicity is not one of the sport’s strengths…

With the Rugby World Cup upon us, Sportsmail has produced the ultimate guide to the tournament with everything you need to know.

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England going through their warm-up routine in front of the South Stand at Twickenham. Stuart Lancaster – as ever – is taking a back seat; watching with arms folded, leaning against a post, while Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Mike Catt take the players through their drills.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach and Sportsmail columnist Sir Clive Woodward highlights 12 heroes who could light up the 2015 edition with their skill, speed and match-winning ability. 

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'I think New Zealand, for a long time have been the best team in the world. They haven't always had the most success at World Cups but they come to this World Cup as probably the best New Zealand team prepared, ever, which is quite scary for everyone else; so I think they are the favourites. So outside of them, I think it is very, very open. I think they will go through strongly on the one side but the other side is completely open. That's why I think we've all got great hopes for this very young England team because we are playing at home and if someone had given me this fixture list 12 years ago I'd have said 'Yes'.' 

In common with most right-thinking people, not a fan of opening ceremonies. London 2012 was a glorious exception and the Rugby World Cup organisers appear to be trying to channel the spirit of those Olympics with their set design here. They're going through all the old favourites now: Swing Low, Jerusalem. Twickenham loves it. If it was up to me, I'd have a plinth in the middle of the pitch, get Jonny Wilkinson to walk out with the Webb Ellis Trophy and plonk it down, let the crowd go nuts and leave it at that. Less is more, no modern opening ceremony choreographer said, ever.

Harsh from Joe! Thought they were terrific (might be the Murphy's, I guess). Atmosphere rocking. Feels a privilege to be here... Even if the two tickets cost £450!

There were groans of disapproval in the media area when Will Greenwood and his mate began their cabaret routine but fair play to the crowd, they absolutely loved it. I suppose that's the beauty of being able to drink in your seats.

Virtually every front garden in Twickenham seems to be hosting a World Cup party, with those on their way to the ground from all corners of the globe engaging with the locals.

It has, of course, always been a rugby-centric town but people are quite literally spilling out of their houses on to the streets to get as close as they can to the action.

CHARLES SALE: Twickenham head groundsman Keith Kent remains remarkably calm about the possibility that Friday's World Cup opening ceremony may damage his pristine pitch, which will stage 10 games during the tournament.

The dress rehearsal for the £1million ceremony took place on Wednesday night in atrocious conditions, with 17mm of rain falling on the surface at rugby’s headquarters that day. More bad weather is forecast for West London before England’s opening game against Fiji.

Yet Kent was delighted at the way his Desso pitch — natural grass and artificial fibres — coped with the downpour as well as all the people and props needed for the 20-minute ceremony. The pitch showed only superficial surface marks when all the event paraphernalia had been removed.

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NIK SIMON: The Watson household is full of laughter as Anthony goads his father, Duncan, for wearing socks and sandals during a photoshoot in the family living room in Surrey.

Anthony’s mother, Viv, quickly intervenes and Duncan retreats upstairs for a change of clothes – allowing the England winger enough time to unearth a dusty framed portrait of his father dressed as an African chief on a business trip to Nigeria.

Duncan soon returns, drawing attention to the range of Anthony’s teenage hairstyles in the endless photographs that decorate the walls of their generous home, before lifting the lid on some humorous but significant childhood tales.

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England begin their World Cup campaign against Fiji, but what really makes the starting XV tick? Which member of the squad runs the fastest 100m time? Who is known as Arrow? And who likes to belt out Celine Dion? WILL KELLEHER guides you through the team, from 15 to 1...

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We've just done the office sweepstake in the office, which I organised. And, being the man in charge, I had to pull the names out for the absentee entries.

I've just accidentally allocated my boss Namibia. I may not last long in this job...

Well, it is safe to say Twickenham and the route to it has never been so busy over three hours before kick off.

If the journey there is anything to go by then you can expect a very loud, very drunken crowd.

There is, however, a strange tension in the air. England surely won't fluff their lines, will they?

Twickenham busy already, almost three hours before kick off. The message: arrive early, seems to have been heeded.

They may not be hosting their first game until tomorrow, but Cardiff is getting into the spirit of things already.

Check out this massive rugby ball on the walls of Cardiff Castle! 

Is there anything more English than a major tournament potentially being delayed because of the traffic? 

Chris Foy writes:

'World Cup organisers are confident that England will not be late for their own grand occasion on Friday, despite recent problems on the congested route between their Surrey HQ and Twickenham.

'All competing teams’ journeys to tournament venues have been meticulously planned and are subject to precise schedules. However, in the case of the opening fixture, the timetable will be tested by notorious Friday evening rush-hour traffic around London.'

Read the full story here.

Enough about those who won't be playing, what about the players who could be the stars of the tournament?

Sir Clive Woodward, a man who knows a thing or two about spotting talent, and he's named a dozen potential players of the tournament - three of whom will be on show today.

Do you agree?

For all the great players at the Rugby World Cup, there will, of course be a few sensational players missing. 

Whether through injury, suspension, playing in the wrong country or just not being picked, Sportsmail have come up with a team of 15 absentees who won't be lighting up this World Cup.

I reckon they'd have a decent chance too, if they ever played together...

So, first contribution from the Clayton household. My dad, Peter, is very happy with the Daily Mail's rugby supplement... And the tickets for today's opening game.

Now for the first pint and the journey to Twickenham.

This World Cup is not just causing excitement among rugby fans - footballers, cricketers and politicians are all getting involved too.

We'll be bringing you the best celebrity tweets and comments throughout the afternoon and evening - here are the first batch, and I think it's fair to say that Rio Ferdinand has outshone the Prime Minister with his offering!

Stand by all you Scots for an important announcement.  RWC2015 have issued a clarification over the thorny subject of Bagpipes which had reportedly been banned from the competition. This is not quite accurate.

RWC is adopting a 'restriction' policy. Items - namely bagpipes - will be allowed into grounds but if they cause either a visual restriction or a nuisance the venue manager may ask for the bagpipe player to lay down his instrument in a safe place outside of the ground until after the game.

The thought is that in the big venues like Elland Road or St James' Park Scotland there will be no problems but at the smaller ground, such at Kingsholm, it could possibly be an issue...

Meanwhile there is, blessedly, a blanket ban on Vuvuzelas and selfie sticks.

It's time for a trip down memory lane, to a time when England were the best team in the world, and Jonny Wilkinson kicked them, gloriously, to the world cup.

But how much do you remember of the 2003 World Cup? And what are those stars doing now? Catch up with our 'Where are they now' feature.

I know it's early days, what with the opening ceremony not even having started yet, but the question on everybody's lips is 'who will win this?'.

Can anyone take the trophy off the reigning champions New Zealand? Or are hosts England the best bet? What about Australia? Or even Ireland as an outside hope?

The centre of Twickenham is filling up with supporters going to the big game, but as yet the buzz of anticipation is decidedly low-key.

Pubs nearest the station are already doing a roaring trade - with bouncers on the doors to control the hordes - but the streets slightly further from the stadium are far from mobbed, for now.

Most home fans are wearing home - white - England shirts. If anyone is wearing the red change shirt that the players will appear in tonight, they are out of sight.

In fact, the most striking red outfits on show were two Canadian Mountie costumes, being worn by a couple. Perhaps they are lost, or simply en route to Cardiff, where their team face Ireland tomorrow.

Several shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants are adorned with rugby-themes flags and bunting, and a number of premises have chosen to be welcoming to England's Pacific-island rivals, by displaying Fiji flags.

The World Cup is finally here. Finally being the operative word in that sentence because, let's not beat around the bush here, the sporting world has been gearing up towards this for months.

With no major football tournament, no Olympics, and with the increasing frequency of Ashes series' devaluing this year's a tad, this has always been the pot of gold at the end of this summer's rainbow.

On the subject of rainbows, the weather could be a major factor today with wet ground surely suiting England's superior kicking game - though they will argue they are as good if not better with the ball in hand than the Fijians after a sizzling attacking display in the Six Nations which brought 18 tries in just five games.

However England decide to play it though, their front five will be key as they really should dominant their Fijian counterparts, making up for the relative parity in the loose.

England by 10.

With several hours to go until kick-off, we'll be bringing you all the build-up from south west London, before the opening ceremony itself and then the big match.

In the mean-time feel free to get in touch, by using the comments below or tweeting us with your thoughts on the tournament, England's chances, and any other ideas you have.

Next stop, Twickenham...

So finally the day has arrived and RWC2015 will be getting underway in just a few hours.

Rather like London 2012 it seemed to be there on the horizon for years and years and then suddenly it was on us and over in a trice.

The World Cup lasts six weeks so make sure you savour every moment and hopefully the minute by minute coverage provided by Sportsmail will help you in that. 

Right, let's talk England vs Fiji. One factor that seems to have gone under the radar a little in the England's Pool is the pressing need to secure bonus points for scoring four tries or more and, the flip side, the need to be aware of denying your opponents a losing bonus point which teams can earn by losing by less than seven points.

It adds another layer and already intriguing Pool which features four of the top nine side in the world - England, Australia, Wales and Fiji - as well as minnows Uruguay. 

If a team could guarantee winning all four matches they would mathematically nearly be certain of going through, assuming they claimed a bonus point win over Uruguay and in one way that's not a bad basic mind-set to adopt.

But this is the most competitive pool in World Cup history and it could be much more complicated than that.

I believe all the main contenders need to be aware of the developing story. England could beat Wales but lose to Australia, Wales could lose to England and then beat Australia. Or the other way around.

And that's before you factor in the possibility of an upset win from Fiji somewhere along the line.

There is every likelihood that it will be very tight at the top of the pool and bonus points could come into play. In fact I would suggest it is more likely than not.

There is no exact template to how to win a world Cup or get all the way to the final, you just have to do what needs doing.

Just four years ago France lost not one but two pool games but got out of their pool because they picked up three bonus points and still managed to finish in second place.

They then marched to the Final where they should probably have beaten New Zealand

So England need to be aware of this. The priority tonight is to beat Fiji no question but they must be mindful that if at all possible a bonus point would be useful.

I don't think there is any great mental gymnastics needed because as I have already outlined the best way for England to put distance between themselves and Fiji is to utilise their very dangerous back division.

Yes, England have to win the battle up front first but having done that and got the scoreboard ticking they can put the game out of sight by opening up and if that results in a bonus point that would be an excellent outcome.

After all the build-up, all the preparation, the Rugby World Cup is finally here. 

There's a lot to come over the next seven hours, and the next six weeks. If you're not excited yet you have about five hours until the action gets underway to get in the zone.

And what better way to start you off than with some words of wisdom from the only man who knows what it's like to coach England to a Rugby World Cup win...