It is the first time since 2018 that England have lost five in a row and the first time since 2006 that they have lost three straight at home. While Borthwick remains confident he retains the full support and backing of the RFU, such a dismal order beyond what would have been on paper the easiest game of the Autumn will see serious questions surely asked of the future.
Japan have never beaten England but will be hoping to put an end to their struggles on Sunday, with the presence of Eddie Jones as Brave Blossoms head coach adding another subplot to the game.
It is the first time the long-serving former England boss has returned to Twickenham since he was sacked after seven years in charge in January 2023, and he returns after strong criticism and accusations about his leadership made in his forthcoming memoir. ex-England scrum-half Danny Care.
Jones has returned to Japan almost a year after a disastrous second stint with his country Australia which ended after less than 12 months after failing to progress beyond the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup for the first time. ever.
England beat an experimental Japanese side 52-17 in Tokyo in June to warm up for their summer tour of New Zealand, with the Brave Blossoms also beaten by Georgia and beaten by Italy before being beaten by the All Blacks and France to open. Autumn was followed by a 36-20 win over Uruguay last week which came despite a second half red card.
England vs Japan schedule, kick-off time and venue
England vs Japan will be held on Sunday 24th November 2024 at Allianz Stadium Twickenham, south west London. Kick-off is scheduled for 16:10 GMT, which is 1:10 early Monday morning in Japan.
It was the final match of England’s four-game autumn series after defeats by New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
How to watch England vs Japan
TV channels: In the UK, England vs Japan is broadcast live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 15:45 GMT – after Scotland’s meeting with Australia at Murrayfield ends.
Live broadcast: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the action online via the Discovery+ website and app.
Live blog: Follow all the action on matchday with Standard sport live blog, featuring analysis from Simon Collings at Twickenham.
England vs Japan team news
England have welcomed back Tom Curry this week after he suffered his second concussion of the season against Australia and missed the loss to the Springboks.
He replaced Charlie Ewels in Borthwick’s squad, while the injured Elliot Daly replaced Harlequins wing Cadan Murley, who starred with two tries as England ‘A’ beat their Australian counterparts 38-17 at The Stoop last weekend.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has yet to successfully return from the concussion he suffered against the Wallabies and will be out again.
Called: Cadan Murley has been added to the England squad preparing to face Japan
Getty Images
Borthwick made four changes against South Africa, with Sam Underhill and Ollie Sleightholme replacing Curry and Feyi-Waboso and Jack van Poortvliet and Freddie Steward preferring Ben Spencer and George Furbank at scrum-half and full-back respectively. He made a change this weekend.
Japan will be without New Zealand-born lock Warner Dearns, whose red card for a high tackle against Uruguay was upheld when he appeared before an independent disciplinary committee on Wednesday. Dearns was handed a four-match suspension, meaning he will not play at Twickenham.
England vs Japan head to head (h2h) history and results
As you know, Japan have never beaten England in men’s rugby union and lost 52-17 in the last meeting between the two in Tokyo over the summer.
England have won all their previous matches, including a 34-12 victory in last year’s World Cup pool stage in France and a 52-13 thrashing at Twickenham in November 2022. They had to come from behind to win 35-15 on home soil. in fall 2018.
England vs Japan Predictions
No sugarcoating – England just need to win this weekend, and they need to win well.
Despite having played some impressive rugby – led by the excellent Marcus Smith – in the summer and autumn, they have continued to disappoint in the details of small details and costly turnovers.
The management of the game in the last quarter has been sad and must improve if the result is to be relevant and the pressure on Borthwick is easy.
Losing in front of a Japan side managed by Eddie Jones of all people to end a nightmare run of results would be unthinkable, especially with another Six Nations campaign looming.
England won, by 25 points.
England vs Japan match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
