England Prevail in Fiery Encounter Against Japan
BBC Rugby Union
Published: 20 November 2022
England captain Jamie George expressed his delight at how his side adapted to the challenging conditions in their convincing 52-17 victory over Japan on Saturday. The England national rugby union team kicked off their mid-year campaign with an emphatic win over Eddie Jones’ Japan side at Tokyo’s National Stadium, crossing the try line eight times against the hosts.
“It was a really tough game. The conditions were very difficult. I’m very proud with the way we went about our business,” said George, speaking to RugbyPass TV. The Red Rose were quick to adjust to the heat and humidity, with George highlighting England’s efficient ball movement and the ability of their talented backline to exploit space.
Despite the sizeable winning margin, the England skipper had only words of praise for Japan and their former boss Jones.
“Japan are a fantastic team. We knew they would be well drilled and we obviously know Eddie very well. We couldn’t have more respect for him as a person and a coach,” George remarked.
Fly-half Marcus Smith was the standout performer for the visitors, orchestrating a commanding all-round display. However, England’s victory was marred by a late red card shown to Charlie Ewels after a dangerous clear-out on Michael Leitch, leaving the tourists to finish the match with 14 men.
England’s Solid Performance
England head coach Steve Borthwick was pleased with his team’s application, though acknowledged their cohesion waned against the “very fast and skilful Japanese team” in the closing stages.
“The ball movement of the Japanese team was really excellent and you can tell that over the next period of time their team is going to grow,” Borthwick said.
Japan’s Positives Despite Defeat
For Eddie Jones, it was a disappointing start to his second tenure as Japan’s head coach, though he took positives from his team’s set-piece work and their ability to create opportunities, despite failing to convert them.
“Our movement around the ball still isn’t sharp enough. But there is real potential here for Japanese rugby,” the former England boss stated.
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