ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Steve Borthwick's England downs Eddie Jones's Japan in perfect start to tour

BY Philip Bendon  ·  Saturday Jun 22, 2024

Steve Borthwick’s England got their 2024 tour off to the perfect start with a 52 – 17 win over Eddie Jones’s Japan in Tokyo.

ADVERTISEMENT

Japan would get the first points of the match as Seungsin Lee slotted an early penalty to settle the hosts nerves.

This good start would be Japan’s only joy for the next hour of match action as England ran in seven unanswered tries to take a commanding 45 – 3 lead with fifteen minutes left to play.

Utilising their physicality, England managed to get over the gainline with relative ease, with backrow Chandler Cunningham-South being the benefactor as he went over in the 14th minute.

This would prove to be the catalyst that opened the floodgates as England would score three more tries before the break through Marcus Smith, Immanuel Fey-Waboso and Henry Slade.

Picking up where they left off in the first half, Borthwick’s side would score immediately in the second half through scrumhalf Alex Mitchell before Ben Earl and Harry Randal added two more before the hour mark.

To the hosts credit they would never stop fighting as they ripped into the ultra physical English defence and would be rewarded for their efforts as Koga Nezuka dove over in the left corner.

ADVERTISEMENT

Moments later, Japan scored arguably the try of the day as secondrow Warner Dearns burst through the defence with some incredible skill before finding Takuya Yamasawa, who raced away under the posts.

Yamasawa’s try would shake England from their ten-minute slumber as the Six Nations side regained control of the fixture and began to play inside the Japanese half.

ADVERTISEMENT

This pressure was beginning to tell as substitute flyhalf Fin smith routinely pinned the hosts back with clever kicks and short passes which kept his pack on the front foot.

Just as a sense of inevitability that England would score began to take hold of the proceedings, England replacement Charlie Ewels brought a temporary halt to his side’s progress as he was sent from the pitch for a dangerous cleanout.

Initially sent off with a yellow card which was to be reviewed by the TMO, Ewels offence was upgraded to a red card and has now thrown cast doubt on whether the Bath man will be eligible for the remainder of the tour.

Despite being a man down, England would have the final say as backrow Sam Underhill took his team to the 50-point mark before Slade converted for the final points of the fixture.

Whilst they will be disappointed by their lack of concentration during Japan’s ten-minute period in which Japan scored two tries, England looked assured throughout the contest and simply bowled over their hosts with their uptempo and physical game.

Next up for Borthwick’s side is a two test series against the All Blacks which gets underway on July 6th in Dunedin.

Related Articles

  • 19 WEEKS AGO

    Shock recall for veteran fullback ahead of international tests

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    Pitch invader melted in thunderous tackle

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    England announce starting XV for Japan test



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Harlequins winger heralded as the next big England breakthrough after weekend's performance

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    South African school boy makes the greatest tackle ever

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Huge guillotine tackle divides fans in viral footage

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Fans call for Stuart Hogg to face punishment after altercation involving ball boy

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Siya Kolisi makes young fans' day as he arrives at Cape Town school

View All

Funnies

  • 2 HOURS AGO

    Mischievous Marcus Smith spotted engaging in the dark arts during All Blacks match

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    ‘Pitch is made of concrete’ - Fan provides much needed update following half time incident

View All

Amateur

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit opens up about his biggest shock in chasing NFL dream

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been an honour' - Wales legend retires from international rugby

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been horrible' - Wales captain to miss Autumn Nations

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    'It was an easy decision for me' - Saints star commits to future

View All