JONES LEFT IN A SWEAT OVER QUICK TURNAROUND

ENGLAND are ready to be uncomfortable tonight in Japan’s pre-eminent rugby city, where they will have to cope with humidity, limited preparation and fresh, fired-up opposition. Well, they certainly think they are ready. Time will tell if they handle the rare inconvenience of a four-day turnaround between matches, in alien conditions, as they confront the USA in their second World Cup Pool C fixture — chasing the target of another bonus-point victory. Even a bullish Eddie Jones can offer no guarantees. Last November, after a deliberately-abbreviated training week, a Red Rose line-up captained by George Ford and featuring double-figure starting changes from the previous weekend ran into an ambush against Japan at Twickenham. The hosts trailed 15-10 after a faltering first-half display, before rallying to win 35-15. This time, a side led by Ford and showing ten changes from the team which started against Tonga in Sapporo on Sunday will go into this contest against the Eagles after just one meaningful training session. Asked about the first-half problems against the Japanese last year, Jones said: ‘We could have the same problems. It’s difficult having a quick turnaround. There’s no quick solution to it but we feel it’s maybe more psychological than physical. ‘The players have experience of a four-day turnaround. We did that specifically for Japan. How do you prepare in a short time? It’s about getting some energy back in them, making them feel good.’ Playing two games in such close proximity is not ideal for England, but it signifies that the tournament schedule is more balanced these days. In the past, the weaker teams had to cram their fixtures into a congested schedule, while the leading nations had their matches neatly spaced apart. Now, there is more fairness. Ford suggested that he actually relishes cutting back on the pre-match detail and returning to playing business without delay. ‘When you’ve only got three or four days until your next game, it helps things,’ said the skipper at No 10. You get right down to the nitty-gritty of the plan. Sometimes, if you’ve got a full week or eight, nine days, you can get into a cycle of talking too much.’ England’s discomfort will extend beyond the turnaround time. The players are expecting to endure a ‘sweaty’ experience here, with humidity a major factor which could impact on their ability to maintain attacking pressure. There were too many handling errors against the Tongans on Sunday and avoiding a repeat won’t be easy. After training yesterday, Joe Launchbury said: ‘It is a slippery ball compared to back home and, pretty early on, the grass was a bit greasy. ‘One of the areas we want to impress in this game is our attack and keeping hold of the ball will be key.’