Crucial test for Eddie’s
A FORTNIGHT ago, New Zealand sent their second-string to Tokyo to face Japan, while the front-liners were in London, preparing to play England.
The Japanese branch of the All Blacks, with eight debutants, smashed their hosts 69-31 and scored five tries in each half. Another win, another sold-out stadium on foreign soil, an advance for the All Black brand, an advance of their World Cup depth and an untouched squad for the big one in London.
And, by sneaking into Twickenham to watch England play South Africa, they got one over their next opponents, too. A solid weekend’s work.
Eddie Jones will not be able to tick quite as many boxes when England play Japan tomorrow, but he has set his stall out to tick some. He wants the big win but, in getting more experimental than anyone expected he would, he wants to know more about his squad depth, in terms of personnel, positioning and leadership.
Jones knows Japanese rugby better than most, and his 11 changes do not reflect his opinion of their rugby, but his shortage of time to learn before the World Cup. After this, he has 10 games of fine-tuning, with only two games against Italy coming against lowerranked opposition than Japan.
The autumn programme is bruising, too, and it would have been silly, possibly even self-destructive, to have the same core to the XV in all four weeks. For all those out before it even began, England are still averaging a seriesending injury per week in this month.
All week, England’s players, most notably Kyle Sinckler on Wednesday,
(Tomorrow, Twickenham, 3pm, Sky Sports)
Elliot Daly Willam Tupou
Joe Cokanasiga Akihito Yamada
Jack Nowell Timothy Lafaele
Alex Lozowski Ryoto Nakamura
Chris Ashton 11 Kenki Fukuoka George Ford (capt) 10 Yu Tamura
Danny Care Fumiaki Tanaka
Alec Hepburn Keita Inagaki
Jamie George Atsushi Sakate
Harry Williams Jiwon Koo
Charlie Ewels Wimpie van der Walt
Maro Itoje Uwe Helu
Courtney Lawes Michael Leitch (capt) Mark Wilson Masakatsu Nishikawa Zach Mercer Kazuki Himeno have spoken lucidly about the threat pose by Japan so, given the two teams have not met since 1987, they must have done their research.
Jones sees them as a team built in the image of the Dunedin-based Super Rugby franchise the Highlanders, from where his full-time successor as Japan coach, Jamie Joseph, joined (along with his sidekick Tony Brown). Jones seems certain they are stronger than when he coached them.
Jones says “they are the highest kicking team in the world”, who will look to keep the ball alive. Keep an eye on the constantly-namechecked wing Kenki Fukuoka, who has 17 tries in 27 Tests and lines up opposite Joe Cokanasiga, who is half-a-foot taller and six stone heavier. Japan are a bigger team than they once were, in the scrum and the centres particularly.
Jones would never admit to looking further ahead than England’s next