England v Japan: Autumn Nations Series - live
2m ago 10.47 EST 28 min: Japan’s scrum is taking a battering but they build a good attack into the England half thanks in part to a nice pop pass by Riley in midfield. Leitch sprints down the left wing but is forced into touch. Japan keeping coming and get to within a couple of metres of the England try-line. England are penalised for offside and Japan choose to take the penalty, sensibly opting to get themselves on the board.
Updated at 10.49 EST
5m ago 10.44 EST The try is created by a brilliant counterattacking run by Steward from full-back. He runs into midfield, having beaten a couple of defenders, and offloads to Van Poortvliet who has space to run into on the right wing. The scrum-half gives it to Cokanasiga, who looks to be in for a try, but he is hauled down close to the line. The tackled Cokanasiga waits for Smith, passes off the floor, and the fly-half darts in at the corner. Good score and positive stuff from England again.
Updated at 10.45 EST
7m ago 10.42 EST Try! 23 min: England 17-0 Japan (Smith) After a couple of early errors, Smith has a try in the corner!
Updated at 10.42 EST
8m ago 10.41 EST 22 min: Itoje nabs the lineout following that scrum penalty and England attack down the right wing. Smith has a telegraphed pass intercepted and there is a glimpse of a chance for Japan to attack but England snuff out the danger. Smith had already had one kick charged down, which he got away with because Japan had strayed offside.
11m ago 10.38 EST 19 min: There is a break in play and a lull before another scrum put-in for England. The England scrum is rock solid again and the latest engagement results in another penalty for the hosts.
14m ago 10.35 EST 16 min: Kyle Sinckler needs a change of shorts, for some reason, and at the next scrum England win another penalty. Again it’s Gu who goes to ground under pressure from Sinckler. The second row Jonny Hill nips over try-line after Van Poortvliet messes up a pass from the base of a ruck. Tom Curry knocks that pass on, so Hill’s subsequent dart looking for a try is in vain. Michael Leitch, the Japan captain, has a serious look on his face as he tries to contain this onslaught from England.
Updated at 10.36 EST
17m ago 10.32 EST 15 min: Good early signs for England. Japan have come to play, and are highly unlikely to be pushovers, but on this evidence it’s going to be a far more coherent performance by Jones’s men compared to last week.
Updated at 10.32 EST
19m ago 10.30 EST 11 min: Try! England 10-0 Japan (Steward) Excellent try by England after they buy some field position with that scrum penalty. The Japan defence rushes up and a smart pass from Smith finds the full-back, Steward, on a lovely arcing run outside the defensive cover. Jonny May is there on the wing, too, but Steward doesn’t need him and he has space to jog over. Cokanasiga ran a good line there too. Farrell nails an excellent conversion. England's Freddie Steward scores the first try of the game. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Updated at 10.34 EST
22m ago 10.27 EST 10 min: England win a penalty at the first scrum of the match. They celebrate after Gu is penalised, going up against Ellis Genge in the front row.
26m ago 10.23 EST 7 min: Both teams are looking to run the ball and play some good stuff – the conditions are perfect, dry and an unseasonably warm 17C in south west London. Japan work through some muscular phases and then win a penalty of their own which, like England, they kick for the corner, and they work into the hosts’ 22 for the first time. But England do well to turn it over and Smith clears downfield. Japan hack the ball back and Itoje knocks it on. Scrum to Japan near halfway.
Updated at 10.25 EST
28m ago 10.21 EST 4 min: From the lineout, Dylan Riley does exceptionally well to charge down an attempted kick over the top to the corner by Marcus Smith. But Matsushima had drifted offside and it’s pulled back.
30m ago 10.19 EST 3 min: England work through some phases in Japan’s half and win an arguably generous penalty for Japan going off their feet. They kick for the corner, passing up a regulation shot at goal.
Updated at 10.19 EST
31m ago 10.18 EST 2 min: Japan begin the match with a nice passing move, probing down their right wing. Steward, then Farrell put boot to ball for England early on. Yamasawa, the Japan No 10, makes a good catch from Farrell’s up and under … England's Jack Nowell (centre) is held up bu the Japanese line. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Updated at 10.24 EST
40m ago 10.09 EST The teams are heading out on the pitch. Kick-off is six minutes away. Now for a rendition of The Last Post and a moment of silence for Remembrance Day.
Updated at 10.11 EST
49m ago 10.00 EST Eddie Jones speaks to Amazon Prime on this week’s preparations: “I think we’ve just been clearer in how we want to play. Last week maybe the message wasn’t quite right … today I’m sure we are going to be on the ball. “It’s not about anger, it’s about playing to our potential … and playing as well as we can. “We’ve got a squad here and it’s [selection] about who’s appropriate to start and who’s appropriate to finish. “Jack Nowell’s got a slight fast bowler’s strain. He must have been playing too hard in the cricket in the hallway of the hotel.” [He is joking.] “I don’t really know what pressure is. You choose the coach, and you choose to accept there’s a win and loss, and you’ve got to accept whatever happens after that.”
Updated at 10.02 EST
1h ago 09.54 EST Team news For England, Jack Van Poortvliet starts at No 9 after his brilliant opportunistic try soon after replacing Ben Youngs last week. Leicester’s Guy Porter is at No 13 in the absence of the rested Manu Tuilagi while Jonny May comes back in on the wing a few weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow playing for his club. Sam Simmonds slots in at No 8 with Billy Vunipola on the bench and David Ribbans wins his first cap in the second row. Japan have the lightning-quick Kotaro Matsushima on the wing, the industrious Kazuki Himeno at No 7, and the equally hard-working and talented captain, Michael Leitch, at No 6. England: Steward; Cokanasiga, Porter, Farrell (capt.), May; Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Sinckler, Ribbans, Hill, Itoje, Curry, Simmonds. Replacements: George, M Vunipola, Heyes, Coles, B Vunipola, Youngs, Slade, Tuilagi. Japan: Yamanaka; Matsushima, Riley, Nakamura, Van den Heever; Yamasawa, Nagare; Inagaki, Sakate (capt.), Gu, Dearns, Cornelsen, Leith, Himeno, Tatafu. Replacements: Norikoshi, Millar, Kizu, Van der Walt, Labuschagne, Saito, Lee, Fifita.
Updated at 10.15 EST
1h ago 09.49 EST Jamie Joseph, the Japan coach, has a chat with Sonja McLaughlan on Amazon Prime: “It’s a big Test match, coming to Twickenham … we sort of lost our momentum a little bit after [the World Cup in] 2019 [because of the pandemic] … but this is our 10th game this year, so it’s starting to come right, we are starting to get our groove on. “The team’s started to get a bit of momentum, we’ve got some big games ahead of us, one today and the French next week, as well.”
1h ago 09.42 EST The full lineups are coming up shortly, but the breaking news from Twickenham is that the Exeter wing Jack Nowell has been ruled out by an abdominal injury. Joe Cokanasiga comes into England’s starting team on the right wing as a result.
Updated at 09.43 EST
1h ago 09.39 EST Can Japan mix it with England for 80 minutes, the pundit Matt Giteau is asked on Amazon Prime: “Physically they can do it, they always pride themselves on being one of the fittest teams in world rugby. Tactically there’s a question mark.”
Updated at 09.43 EST
1h ago 09.29 EST Andy Bull There is a hill in Sapporo called Sankakuyama, or Triangle mountain, but over the road at Yamanote high school they call it Michael Leitch’s playground. When Leitch was a student at Yamanote he used to run up it every day after training. It takes most kids 30 minutes – it’s so steep they cover bits of it on their hands and feet. By the end of his time there, Leitch was covering it in 15 minutes. Eddie Jones, who first met Leitch when he was coaching him at Tokai University, was talking about it this week. England’s head coach is still in awe of Leitch’s work ethic. “He’s a great player,” Jones said, “and a great man”. Tireless Michael Leitch leads evolving Japan side for another run at England | Andy Bull Read more
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