Twickenham Stadium will come to life for a final time in the 2024 rugby season this weekend when England play host to Japan in what has been an absorbing Autumn Nations Series.
This match will see Eddie Jones return to the home of English rugby looking to get one over his previous employers as well as his ex-assistant Steve Borthwick.
Match preview
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England will come into this match feeling they have something to prove, as they failed to win either of their matches so far this month and are now on a five-match losing streak, having also been defeated by the All Blacks in July.
Perhaps the most frustrating part for the Red Rose and their fans is that they could have won all of those games, as they had lost the first four by fewer than seven points before a nine-point defeat by the Springboks last week.
Even then, Borthwick's side were well in the contest against the world champions for the best part of the match but lacked the clinical edge to convert the pressure they exerted on the Boks' defence into points.
The last time the Red Rose won an international Test was against their upcoming opponents back in June 52-17, and that remains the biggest win they have posted since thrashing Tonga back in the Autumn internationals in 2021.
Based on the team that Borthwick has selected for this match, it seems clear that the hosts are leaving nothing to chance here, as they look to end what has been a largely disappointing season on a high.
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Meanwhile, Jones will arrive at his old stomping ground knowing that his former side is low on confidence, and he will be eager to create another bit of history with Japan as he did nearly a decade ago when they beat South Africa.
However, that victory against the Boks came after four years of dedicated work with the team, which is something the former England head coach has not had since rejoining the Brave Blossoms earlier this year.
Despite making significant changes in recent times, results have been elusive for Japan, who suffered three consecutive losses before their recent win over Uruguay, and their defensive struggles have been evident, conceding over 20 points in each of their last 13 Tests.
The Brave Blossoms have also lost each of their last five matches against England and 14 of their last 15 facing European sides, including each of their last 11 by an average margin of 22 points.
England form (all competitions):
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
Japan form (all competitions):
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
Team News
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As mentioned, Borthwick is leaving nothing to chance this week, making only two changes to the side that ran out against the Springboks last week in George Furbank and Tom Curry coming in the starting 15.
Jamie George will continue as England's captain, with Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Ellis Genge serving as vice-captains, while George Ford is omitted from the matchday squad.
Among the many new faces in the Japan squad, Dylan Riley in midfield stands out, having been one of the most impressive players for the team since his 2021 debut.
Antoine Dupont's deputy at Toulouse Naoto Saito will don the number nine jersey for the Brave Blossoms at Twickenham this week and he will be joined in the halves pairing by Nicholas McCurran.
England starting lineup: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Tom Roebuck
Japan starting lineup: 15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Tomoki Osada, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Nicholas McCurran, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faulua Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Kanji Shimokawa, 5 Epineri Uluiviti, 4 Sanaila Waqa, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe
Replacements: 16 Seunghyuk Lee, 17 Yukio Morikawa, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Daichi Akiyama, 20 Tevita Tatafu, 21 Ben Gunter, 22 Shinobu Fujiwara, 23 Yusuke Kajimura
We say: England 37-18 Japan
While Japan can never be overlooked, England will be determined not to end the year with another defeat, and we feel that they will put in a ruthless performance en route to victory in this one.
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Devesh Jaganath
