England solidify flat-track bully status to spoil Eddie Jones’ comeback

By Tom Jeffreys

England……………… 59 (35)
Tries: Earl 10, Underhill 14, George 24, 31, Sleightholme 37, Furbank 53, Cowan-Dickie 60, 65, Roebuck 68
Conversions: M. Smith 11, 15, 24, 32, 38, 66, 69
Penalties:

Japan…………. 14 (7)
Tries: Saito 34, Himeno 62
Conversions: Saito 35, Matsunaga 63
Penalties:

Report

After two years and 28 games in the job, Steve Borthwick’s England have only registered three wins against what could be considered top class opposition – twice vs Argentina in 2023 and once against Ireland this year.

Today’s victory ends a five-game losing streak and takes his win rate to 50%, but accompanied by wins vs Italy (x2), Wales (x3), Chile, Samoa, Fiji, and two more vs Japan, England have a fully justified tag as flat track bullies.

Given the misery of their autumn so far, it felt as though a positive outcome from this game was impossible given the calibre of their opponent.

The capacity for disaster was far greater but this was well avoided, England scoring 35 first half points to
dispel the possibility of a comeback, even considering their second half vulnerability this year.

Positivity was evident for those who want to see it: England scored a good mixture of set piece and phase-play tries, and their bench was at last impactful with fringe players going well; Fin Smith looked comfortable playing phases, Asher Opoku-Fordjour won scrum penalties, Tom Roebuck scored and assisted and Tommy Freeman finally got a run out at 13.

Ultimately, however, the comprehensive result doesn’t change the verdict of England’s year. Their six nations opens in brutal fashion with Ireland away and France and Scotland at home looming ominously.

England have proved they can execute a game plan, but with a persistently leaky blitz defence, much tougher prospects await.

First Half

Reflecting on the year, and depending on your perspective, Ben Earl’s opener was either the most pleasing or frustrating of England’s tries. Working the same lineout prototype move that has faltered so frequently this year, Slade took a lineout ball to the line, threw it out back of Earl to Smith, who put Ollie Lawrence through a gap, Earl then waiting gratefully on Lawrence’s inside to score.

The second came just four minutes later when Sam Underhill again typified a season of frustration where he exemplified his much improved carrying to haul two Japanese defenders over the line and score, but injured himself in the act, before two Jamie George maul tries followed – England’s first maul tries this Autumn despite their self-advertisement as a set piece team.

That confusion of emotions carried through to the end of the half, as England’s blitz was well beaten for Japan’s opener, scrum-half Naoto Saito finishing off Dylan Riley’s clean break in the outside channels.

That try came just a couple of minutes before Ollie Sleightholme scored England’s fifth, and his fourth in five games, the speedster exemplifying his revered kicking skills to finish a move that was set up by
an outrageous Will Stuart skip pass.

Second Half

More magic came in the second half, Tommy Freeman igniting a stale affair with an outrageous out the back offload having gathered a Slade grubber to assist George Furbank.

It was Furbank’s last involvement before being replaced by Fin Smith, with Asher Opoku-Fordjour also joining him for his debut.

It was a baptism of fire for the 20-year-old Sale Sharks prop, three consecutive scrums welcoming him to the international arena, but the next try came from a lineout as replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie bulldozed his way over from the back of a collapsed maul.

Cowan-Dickie soon bundled over for his second, profiting off a pace Tom Roebuck break, and the replacement winger was soon able to get over the line himself, pacing round the outside of Japan’s defence after Kazuki Himeno finished off a nice passage of offloading for Japan’s second.

In that hat trick of Sale Sharks tries perhaps came those tough-to-find English positives. Roebuck showed true gas to set up Cowan-Dickie’s second and score his off the back of a good Fin Smith cross field kick, both of them following good scrum platform earned by Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku Fordjour. The nucleus is there, the big game mentality is pending.