England return to winning ways with impressive victory over Eddie Jones' Japan

On Sunday afternoon in the midst of storm Burt, England concluded their Autumn Nations Series with a comprehensive 59-14 victory over a struggling Japan at the Allianz Stadium.

The weather initially matched the mood of an oddly disparaged Allianz Stadium crowd in what felt almost like a bronze playoff match that had failed to interest the remaining fans. The initial stages of the game were unable to improve the grey atmosphere, with early indiscretions from the England back row allowing Japan the first opportunity to score.

With the kick going wide, it was Marcus Smith who was once again tasked with waking the Twickenham crowd. His magical feet danced through the Japanese defence, slotting Ollie Lawrence through a tiny gap with a no-look pass. Just one defender between Lawrence and the try line remained as the charging centre lined up Ben Earl for the finishing touch, with the home crowd roaring him over the line.

England, in their stunning maroon kit, had all the possession from then on, which Sam Underhill leveraged to score his second try in two weeks. Captain Jamie George was next, scoring a trademark catch and drive try off the lineout.

Try number four came through another Marcus Smith break and a typically smooth miss-pass from Henry Slade, as he put Tommy Freeman through for the perfect camera shot try in the corner. Sadly for the hosts, the try was wiped off when scrum-half Jack Van Poortvliet was deemed to have knocked the ball on at the base of the ruck in the build-up. Not sitting back on their heels, England won a penalty in the resulting scrum, resulting in yet another catch and drive try by Jamie George.

After 30 minutes of limited action, Japan had the Twickers crowd up on their feet, with a brilliant break from Dylan Riley to set Naoto Saito for a finish under the posts. No sooner had fans retaken their seats, however, than Ollie Slightholme was over the line with a brilliant team move that included a remarkable Will Stuart miss-pass.

👏 Top class finish from Ollie Sleightholme!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @EnglandRugby assert the dominance once again#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/9jexZIYsYe

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 24, 2024

Half time: England 35-7 Japan

The second half took a while to get going, but a piece of magic by winger Tommy Freeman truly set the match alight once again. A clever kick from Henry Slade had sent the ball behind the Japanese defence for Freeman to collect, pinging the ball behind his back to the supporting George Furbank for the try.

🤏 That’s only a little bit special!! 🤥

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @EnglandRugby winger Tommy Freeman with a touch of class to get George Furbank over the line!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/tQJmhtNHD1

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 24, 2024

England’s second try of the half came almost as a carbon copy of Georges’s two in the first, instead, it was Luke Cowan-Dickie’s name being illuminated at the scorer of yet another catch-and-drive special. In the true manner of the game, Japan were back at it just moments later, as flanker Kazuki Himeno collected an offload to charge over.

💪 Quality play from @JRFURugby!

😁 Plenty of happy faces in the Japanese camp after that score!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/IeD6QnbzBP

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— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 24, 2024

Substitute Cowan-Dickie was next up to get his second of the game, pushing over from close range after an impressive breakaway on the wing by Tom Roebuck. The Sale winger made his space pay on the next opportunity, stepping through two defensive players as he cruised in from 30 metres out.

Final Score: England 59-14 Japan

While Steve Borthwick and his England team will be pleased with the result and his side’s performance, they will be conscious about bringing this winning mentality into future clashes against the big four sides.

Eddie Jones and his Japan side, on the other hand, will be highly disappointed by their showing during their Autumn Nations campaign and should look to make some serious changes moving forward.