England v Japan winners and losers: Steve Borthwick edges ‘master v apprentice’ battle as winger ‘locks down’ spot in starting side
Steve Borthwick and Ollie Sleightholme were the big winners this weekend.
Following England’s maiden Autumn Nations Series victory over Japan at the Allianz Stadium, here are our winners and losers from the game.
Winners
England
They’ve finally got that victory they’ve been craving, and it was the emphatic win it needed to be given their torrid run. At times, it almost seemed too easy for England to get over the whitewash when they entered the 22, but they also showed the composure to take these chances which has been sorely missing so far this autumn. The big question remains if they can do it against the big hitters, but this is certainly a positive step in the right direction.
Steve Borthwick
He’s won another master v apprentice clash, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for him. The England head coach has been under pressure following a bleak November block, especially with the coaching changes during the summer, but this win has probably bought him some more time to change things. Borthwick also can feel slightly validated by his selection, given people were calling for wholesale change, but his trusted men got the job done.
Ollie Sleightholme
Yet again had a great game in the England starting XV, and looks to have locked down a spot in the starting XV. He looked electric against Japan whenever he touched the ball and posed a serious threat out wide, and he grabbed a nice try for good measure. This also comes off the back of some decent showings throughout the autumn, despite the defeats, and that should certainly leave him in a good place moving into the Six Nations.
Ollie Lawrence
A much-improved display from Ollie Lawrence against Japan, as he showed exactly what he can do in that 13 channel. He has been wasted at 12 for much of his Test career, but he took his chance in his preferred position with an exciting attacking display. Lawrence was able to make decent in-roads through the Japanese defence with some strong carries, but crucially he was used a touch wider than normal, which brought the best out of him. This autumn has also proved the Henry Slade and Lawrence partnership simply doesn’t work, and tonight’s showing means he could be the one who remains in the starting team.
Naoto Saito
A really energetic, enjoyable performance from the slippery Japanese nine, who brought bags of pace to his side. His creativity unlocked the England defence on multiple occasions, and he scored a wonderful solo try as a result. He was at the heart of everything Japan did well, and should certainly be pleased with his evening’s work.
Japan bench
The game was threatening to get away from Japan, and despite the one-sided final scoreline at full-time the Japanese bench had a really good impact on the game. They managed to halt England’s dominance up-front when it mattered most, and they injected some proper venom to their side on both sides of the ball. Certainly some green shoots for Eddie Jones to work with here.
Fin Smith
He’s had to be patient this autumn, but he arguably had his best showing in an England shirt yet against Japan. He added a lovely new dynamic to the attack, but crucially also made it more calm and composed whilst maintaining the speed and flow. Crucially, he also allowed them to play much wider much faster with more precision too, and that should leave Borthwick with some food for thought over whether or not to start him soon.
Asher Opoku-Fordjour
Really pleasing debut from the Sale Sharks man, and it certainly wasn’t a sympathy cap either. He came on at a period when the Japanese scrum was starting to get on top, and he simply came on and destroyed it every time. Tighthead has long been an issue for England, but his showing proves there are some options pushing through the ranks.
Losers
Sam Underhill
So unfortunate for the Bath flanker, who was withdrawn early into the game through injury after scoring. He is the ultimate Test player, and after his utterly sensational performance against the Springboks last time out, you hope this won’t keep him out of the Six Nations.
Henry Slade
Another really poor showing from the experienced centre, and you feel he could lose his spot in the starting XV as a result. Found himself caught out a number of times in defence, which then allowed Japan to make some decent charges down the pitch, but what’s worse is his distribution. In club colours, and for England in the past, he is a really silky player, but that seems to have been taken right out of his game and it’s costing England precious opportunities.
Jack van Poortvliet
Tough outing for the Leicester scrum-half, who just couldn’t take his opportunity back in the starting side. He did pick up an early knock, in his defence, but he still wasn’t able to have much of an impact on the game, and you feel he could have missed his opportunity to recapture the nine jersey. His strength is his sniping ability, but he seems restricted to a distributor and kicker role in the England jersey, which doesn’t suit him. It’s almost like they are trying to force him to play in the way Ben Spencer plays, which makes him coming in for Spencer that much more confusing.
Joe El-Abd
What on earth is going on with England’s defence at the moment? It’s simply far too open across the board to make it an effective system, and you feel he will need to completely strip everything back and have a full rebuild ahead of the Six Nations. Yes, he has taken over from Felix Jones mid transition which will undoubtedly be the cause of some of the confusion, but at the same time he needs to really get a grip over this England defence, and quickly, if they want to be a serious contender. Should he even stick with the blitz? It’s not a system he is familiar with, and even though his current club side Oyonnax currently post the second-worst defence in Pro D2, he should be coaching something he can fully buy into, which will then allow the players to then buy into it as well. Borthwick also needs this appointment to work, following a dramatic summer of coaching changes, but he will need to fix the issues fast if he wants to stick around long-term.
Eddie Jones
It’s been yet another tough year in the coaching life of Jones, as Japan fall to another heavy defeat to a Tier One nation. He just cannot seem to replicate that Midas touch he had in his early career, and whilst they have not played too much rugby since the pandemic, Japan have almost certainly regressed under him in 2024. You wonder if he will be able to turn them around?
Japan
As mentioned above, Japan haven’t played a lot of rugby since the pandemic, but they have regressed so much over the past four years. In 2018, against England at Twickenham, Japan put in a seriously competitive performance that ultimately ended certain players’ Test careers and led Jones to his rebuild ahead of the 2019 World Cup, but now they find themselves well beaten by an England side who still weren’t fully at the races. Look back to that World Cup in Japan, and it feels night and day. Japanese rugby is a sleeping giant, but it needs to wake up pretty soon if the Brave Blossoms will ever be the threat they looked like becoming in 2019.