England thrashed Japan at Twickenham (Image: Getty)
England have finally put an end to their five-Test losing streak by trouncing Eddie Jones’ Japan 59-14 at Allianz Stadium for a positive conclusion to what has been a disappointing second year for Steve Borthwick.
A commanding lead of 35-7 at half-time, bolstered by five tries including two from captain Jamie George, set the tone for the match, with no let-up in the second half as Luke Cowan-Dickie crossed the line twice and Japan’s defence was breached four more times.
Despite the victory over the world’s 13th ranked team, concerns remain about England’s performance this autumn.
Prior defeats to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have increased pressure on Borthwick ahead of the Six Nations, with his 2024 record standing at just five wins from 12 matches.
The next challenge is Ireland in Dublin, but this emphatic win has at least eased the weight of a five-game losing streak, the worst run of results since 2018.
For Eddie Jones, who was in charge of England during that period, his return to Twickenham two years after his dismissal proved another difficult experience as his Japanese side were easily overwhelmed.
The scoring began as early as the ninth minute when Marcus Smith and Henry Slade combined to send Ollie Lawrence charging into space, with Ben Earl on hand to receive the scoring pass.
England, donning their red change jerseys, made significant progress with each attack. Japan’s concerns escalated when Sam Underhill bulldozed his way over the line following a powerful display from his team.
Unfortunately, Underhill sustained an injury during the process, ending his participation in the game. England continued to dominate, pushing back the Japanese defence time and again.
A driving maul saw George score, and only a minor knock-on from scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet stopped Tommy Freeman from increasing the lead. However, another score wasn’t far off, with George once again delivering via the maul, extending the lead to 28-0.
England scored nine tries in their battering of Japan (Image: Getty)
Despite the bleak outlook, Japan demonstrated their attacking prowess as Naoto Saito exploited a gaping hole in the home midfield to score.
Lawrence had an outstanding game, and his dynamic run, coupled with a long pass from Will Stuart, allowed Ollie Sleightholme to score, signalling a challenging second half for the visitors.
After the break, Japan showed increased determination, forcing England to defend vigorously against their attacks. But when the chance came, England seized it – a line-out turnover was kicked to the wing where Freeman executed a spectacular around-the-back pass for George Furbank to finish.
Cowan-Dickie, spinning and carrying from short range, was the next to score. However, Japan demonstrated their prowess with Kazuki Himeno rounding off a creative move.
England retaliated with further tries from Cowan-Dickie and Tom Roebuck to secure the victory.