Eddie Jones returns to Twickenham for the first time in charge of another nation since his sacking as England head coach two years ago.
Jones was at the England helm for seven years, winning three Six Nations titles and reaching the 2019 World Cup final, before being replaced by Steve Borthwick after a dismal year of results in 2022, with only five wins from 12 Tests.
The 64-year-old, who previously coached Japan between 2012 and 2015, took charge of the Brave Blossoms for the second time following his acrimonious departure as Australia head coach after a dismal 2023 World Cup campaign.
November’s match against Jones’ Japan will bookend this year’s Autumn Nations Series for England. It will be the fourth time they have played at Twickenham, most recently two years ago when England won 52-13.
When is the match?
England play Japan on Sunday, November 24 at Twickenham (Allianz Stadium).
What time does it start?
The match kicks off at 4.10pm GMT. Or 1.10am on Monday morning if you are in Japan (Tokyo).
What TV channel is it on?
In the UK and Ireland, every game is being shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
What is the latest team news?
England
Freddie Steward insists the players and not Steve Borthwick are at fault for the autumn washout that has piled pressure on England’s head coach.
Steward believes Borthwick has been “let down” by his team after South Africa clinched a 29-20 victory on Saturday, completing a clean sweep of defeats by the southern hemisphere giants after New Zealand and Australia also stormed Allianz Stadium this month.
Borthwick has revealed there will changes for the climax to the series against Eddie Jones’ Japan on Sunday, among them the return of Tom Curry and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from concussion.
Japan, ranked 14th in the world, are expected to end England’s five-Test losing run that has left Borthwick facing questions over his future. Steward believes it is the players who should be held responsible.
“We almost let Steve down. I don’t think the fault should go to him at all. The fault probably lies in our hands,” the Leicester full-back said.
“As players we had a gameplan that put us in position to win that game. We’ve got to look at ourselves as to why we didn’t pull away at the end and go back ahead.
“Steve is an unbelievable coach. He has a great rugby brain, is an unbelievable motivator and man manager. As players we believe in everything he’s bringing to this team.”
Japan
The Brave Blossoms have two fixtures this November – against France and England – and their first resulted in an emphatic 52-12 humbling at the Stade de France.
Man-of-the-match Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Paul Boudehent bagged two tries each while Emilien Gailleton, Alexandre Roumat, Peato Mauvaka and Jean-Baptiste Gros also touched down and Thomas Ramos converted six of them to seal France’s biggest win against Japan in an official Test.
Japan, who reached half-time 31-0 adrift, mustered two tries through Harumichi Tatewaka and Tevita Tatafu after the break, with Naoto Saito converting one, as they suffered their fifth consecutive loss since Eddie Jones took over again at the end of last year.
England will be looking for a similarly convincing scoreline.
What are the latest odds?
England to win 1/33
Draw 100/1
Japan to win 66/1
What happened the last time these teams played?
Japan hosted England in Tokyo this year in a warm-up match before Borthwick’s men flew to New Zealand on their summer tour. It was the first Test encounter between the two teams on Japanese soil, with England running out 52-17 victors in an eight-try rout. They also played in Pool D at last year’s World Cup in Nice, France, where England came out on top in a 34-12 bonus-point win.
What is our prediction?
Any time Jones returns to Twickenham, expect fireworks. And his Japan play a brand of attacking rugby that is a joy to watch. Expect the Japanese to take an early lead and hold their own in the first half before fatigue and indiscipline creep in and allow England to pull away and seal – on the scoreboard at least – a comfortable victory.
Predicted score: England 45 Japan 23
