With a shot at an appearance in the final still very much alive, England will be aiming to pick up a big Nations Championship win over Japan at Twickenham on Saturday to boost their chances.
To Win
England | Draw | Japan
Handicap
England | Japan
Match context
Steve Borthwick’s men put the Wallabies to the sword in round four, scoring seven tries on their way to a comprehensive 45-22 win that sees them head into this weekend placed second on the Southern Hemisphere table, just two-points shy of leaders France. Given the close-knit nature of the competition, with third-placed Ireland level on points (15) and a date with New Zealand in store next week, England must be ruthless here.
Points difference is expected to be a deciding factor in the make-up of the final placings in a few weeks’ time and with that in mind it we should see tries aplenty in London — albeit for the team in white. The average scoreline in matches between these nations is 49-13, but if the hosts can repeat their attacking performance against Australia, there’s no reason why they cannot exceed that points differential.
They’ll have to do it without the excellent but injury-plagued Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, whose Nations Championship campaign ended after picking up an ankle knock in the first-half last week. He was replaced out wide by none other than Henry Pollock, who went on to score a brace of tries in a performance that certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by the British rugby public.
Ollie Chessum and Seb Atkinson have also both been ruled out, but even still, Borthwick’s troops should have more than enough firepower to blow the East Asian side out of the water.
Eddie Jones’ team are fifth on the southern hemisphere standings after picking up just a solitary win over Italy in Tokyo in the first round. They were edged out 28-21 by Wales in Cardiff a week ago despite producing some encouraging moments at times, but really it doesn’t seem as though the Brave Blossoms will be able to mount a proper challenge against the Roses.
Players to watch
Ben Earl (England)
The Saracen was massive against the Aussies, producing an all-court performance from the back of the scrum that again underlines his value to this England team. Earl made 11 tackles, won two turnovers and made 82-metres from 21 carries, and despite playing in an admittedly sub-par side most of the time, he’s a good shout as one of the most underrated players in the game right now.
If Japan are too passive at Twickenham, there’s a good chance the eighthman will record similar stats.
Kazuma Ueda (Japan)
23-year-old Ueda was arguably his side’s standout performer in Cardiff, making a number of telling contributions with ball in hand and ending up with eight defenders beaten. Having previously turned out for Japan’s sevens team, the Kobelco Steelers fullback is clearly bringing some of that attacking expertise to the international 15-man code, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can spark in London.
Tactical overview
England are riding the momentum of their great win over the Wallabies, and in spite of a few injuries, they will be fully confident in their ability to put a big score on Japan this weekend. 45-points is more than they’ve ever put on Australia before, so the optimism around them right now is certainly not unfounded.
This is not the Japan of 2015 or 2019. Although their rugby league continues to attract some of the sport’s biggest names, that hasn’t translated to success for their national team and they will be hard-pressed to match the physical intensity of England here.
Their defensive game was a bit of a shambles at times against Wales, while their inability to finish off the chances they created for themselves ultimately cost them. There was so much to like about aspects of their play at the Principality, but England are a different beast, and they won’t get as many chances to show what they can do in London.
Prediction
England’s motivation to qualify for the Nations Championship final should boost them to a big win. The hosts to clear the handicap with ease.
