England Concludes Autumn Series with Decisive Victory Over Japan

The match saw Ben Earl achieve his inaugural try of England’s Autumn Nation Series campaign. The final score was England (35) 59, with tries from Earl, Underhill, George (2), Sleightholme, Furbank, Cowan-Dickie (2), and Roebuck, and 7 conversions by M Smith. Japan (7) 14, with tries from Saito and Himeno, and conversions by Saito and Matsunaga. England concluded their sequence of five consecutive defeats by scoring nine tries against Eddie Jones’ Japan team at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. This win represented Steve Borthwick’s squad’s sole success in a challenging Autumn Nation Series, following narrow losses to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. During a dominant initial phase, Captain Jamie George registered two tries, alongside scores from Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, and Ollie Sleightholme. Japan, known as the Brave Blossoms, secured a notable try in the first half, courtesy of captain Naoto Saito. In the second half, full-back George Furbank scored England’s sixth try after receiving a skillful behind-the-back pass from Tommy Freeman. Subsequently, substitute hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie crossed the line for the first of his two tries. Flanker Kazuki Himeno’s try provided Jones’ team with a merited score in the second half. However, the home side concluded the match with greater strength, as Tom Roebuck scored his first international try, complementing Cowan-Dickie’s earlier points. This marked the first victory for Borthwick’s team since June, when they had previously defeated Japan 52-17 in Tokyo. Eddie Jones, the former England head coach who was dismissed by the Rugby Football Union in 2022 and succeeded by Borthwick, maintained a discreet presence leading up to his return. He had previously overseen England’s joint-worst performance since 2018, which included five consecutive losses. Borthwick, his successor, concludes the year with a record of five wins from 12 matches, as he continues to manage a challenging transitional phase after securing a third-place finish at the previous year’s Rugby World Cup. Given indications of advancement in this year’s Six Nations and during the summer Tests against New Zealand, at least one significant victory was anticipated. Consequently, a single win against Japan, despite ending a poor streak, will likely characterize the autumn as unremarkable. Despite having played three demanding matches consecutively, Borthwick chose not to implement extensive squad changes, allowing his established players an opportunity to conclude the autumn positively. In recent fixtures, England has consistently struggled in the final quarter, having relinquished late advantages against both New Zealand and Australia. A persistent strength for the team has been their capacity for rapid starts. This was evident when Marcus Smith created an opening for Ollie Lawrence, who then passed to Earl, allowing him to score the initial points under the posts. Flanker Underhill subsequently demonstrated his strength near the try-line for the second consecutive week, further extending the lead. Following this, Captain George scored two tries from powerful mauls. The Brave Blossoms, despite showing progress under Jones, had suffered significant defeats to New Zealand and France this autumn, making it improbable that they would challenge England’s ability to secure a close Test match. Nevertheless, Japan’s fast-paced offensive strategy eventually proved effective when Saito capitalized on Dylan Riley’s break, following skillful ball handling originating from within their own half. The home team, however, countered with an equally notable flowing play. Will Stuart’s initial breakthrough culminated in Sleightholme’s precise finish in the corner, with the Northampton Saints wing demonstrating his innate scoring talent by retrieving his own grubber kick for his fourth autumn try. Tommy Freeman facilitated George Furbank’s try with an exceptional behind-the-back pass. This remarkable display of skill by Freeman, who threw the ball behind him to assist his club colleague Furbank, subsequently amplified the atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium. In previous matches against the All Blacks and world champions South Africa, England had not managed to score any points beyond the 60th minute. After Himeno’s try, any apprehension regarding England’s capacity to conclude the match robustly was promptly dispelled by Cowan-Dickie’s second close-range try. Substitute Roebuck, who delivered a strong performance after coming on, exhibited his decisive finishing prowess. He scored from Fin Smith’s crossfield kick, evading one defender with a sharp step before crossing the line. Achieving a clean sweep of victories against rugby’s three major southern hemisphere teams was always a formidable challenge for England. Narrow margins prevented England from securing additional victories beyond this one. However, concluding their poor run represented a positive development for Borthwick following a demanding month. The team lineups were as follows: England: Furbank; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; M Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George (capt), Stuart, Itoje, Martin, T Curry, Underhill, Earl. Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Baxter, Opoku-Fordjour, Isiekwe, Cunningham-South, Randall, F Smith, Roebuck. Japan: Matsunaga; Osada, Riley, Fifita, Naikabula; McCurran, Saito; Okabe, Lee, Takeuchi, Waqa, Uluiviti, Shimokawa, Himeno, Makisi. Replacements: Matsuoka, Morikawa, Tamefusa, Akiyama, Tatafu, Gunter, Fujiwara, Kajimura. The match officials included: Referee: Craig Evans (Wales), Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Assistant Referee 2: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland).