With the match still in the balance, British and Irish Lions duo Henry Pollock and Tom Curry both stood with their hands on their hips, waiting to enter the Test arena.
An entire front row of fellow Lion Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour were also ready for battle.
All five England forwards strode on to the pitch on the 54-minute mark as Steve Borthwick sought to take the game away from stubborn opponents.
The score was 21-18 at that point.
As in last week’s win against Australia, England’s bench proved the difference, bringing new levels of energy and experience as England raced away from a tiring Fiji to win 38-18.
Replacement wing Henry Arundell, celebrating his 23rd birthday, also had a telling impact on his return to international rugby after two years.
Starting behind the halfway line, the Bath flyer accelerated past two Fiji defenders and team-mate Marcus Smith, who kicked the ball through, to score a stunning try.
That passage of play summed up the star quality and X-factor on Borthwick’s bench – and the stiff competition for places.
“We have a number of players with pace on the edges and on the wing,” Borthwick said.
“It is exactly the tough decisions you want as a head coach.”
Captain Maro Itoje also scored off the bench as did former England skipper Jamie George.
Last week against the Wallabies, 20-year-old replacement Pollock scooped the ball up with one hand to score a memorable try that confirmed England’s dominance.
“We’ve seen in Test matches that the margins are so small,” Borthwick added.
“It is about understanding the fitness of the players for going 80 minutes and the impact of the bench.
“That alongside composure and resilience are important components.”
England have now won nine straight games – the last time they enjoyed a longer streak was an 18-game run from 2015 to 2017 during which they won their last Grand Slam.
Their current run stretches back to their defeat in the opening game of this year’s Six Nations in Ireland.
Having lost so many Tests by fine margins in the final quarter last year, England’s strength and depth is now showing.
Fin Smith was back at fly-half against Fiji with his namesake Marcus Smith, another Lions tourist and fly-half, at full-back.
Both players needed to grasp the opportunity with George Ford still believed to be the front-runner to face the All Blacks.
Fin Smith, who admitted he was disappointed by his form on the Lions tour, controlled the attack well and played the entire 80 minutes to prove his ability to come through sticky moments in games.
Marcus Smith’s eye for a gap helped Arundell to his moment of glory, with his grubber kicking behind Fiji used regularly to good affect, but doubts still remain about his quality at full-back.
“This team has come under a bit of criticism in tight games, certainly under my reign as captain [in 2024],” George told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We had composure and clarity in the huddle where I thought Fin Smith led really well.
“When you’re bringing on the likes of Tom Curry and Maro, that sort of experience in the huddle is invaluable.
“It’s all been part of the process, its all been part of the journey. We’re still on the early part of the curve of becoming the team we want to be.
“We do have an end goal of winning the World Cup but at the same time we are aware we need to be a significantly better team in order to do that.”
Borthwick’s side face a dangerous New Zealand team, who they lost narrowly against last autumn, next Saturday.
Scott Robertson’s side also used their bench to defeat Scotland late on after a score by replacement Damian McKenzie proved vital.
“They will come here expecting to win and we are looking forward to testing ourselves against them,” said Borthwick.