Japan vs England 22nd June 2024

England

15. George Furbank
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
13. Henry Slade - vice-captain
12. Ollie Lawrence
11. Tommy Freeman
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell

1. Bevan Rodd
2. Jamie George - captain
3. Dan Cole
4. Maro Itoje - vice-captain
5. George Martin
6. Chandler Cunningham-South
7. Sam Underhill
8. Ben Earl - vice-captain

Replacements
16. Theo Dan
17. Joe Marler - vice-captain
18. Will Stuart
19. Charlie Ewels
20. Tom Curry
21. Harry Randall
22. Fin Smith
23. Tom Roebuck

Japan

15. Yoshitaka Yazaki
14. Jone Naikabula
13. Dylan Riley
12. Tomoki Osada
11. Koga Nezuka
10. Lee Seung-sin
9. Naoto Saito

1. Takayoshi Mohara
2. Mamoru Harada
3. Shuhei Takeuchi
4. Sanaila Waqa
5. Warner Dearns
6. Michael Leitch
7. Tiennan Costley
8. Faulua Makisi

Replacements
Atsushi Sakate
Shogo Miura
Keijiro Tamefusa
Amanaki Saumaki
Kai Yamamoto
Shinobu Fujiwara
Rikiya Matsuda
Samisoni Tua

It's a young and inexperienced Japan team. Prop Mohara, hooker Harada, Costley the open-side, and Yazaki the full back are four uncapped players in the starting XV. There's been a lot of hype about Yazaki, who is only 20, and still playing university rugby rather than Top League. He has been in national training camps, and did feature for Japan XV in April's World Rugby Pacific Challenge. All the talk ahead of the match is about Japan looking to play fast.

The game is at the Japan National Stadium in the centre of Tokyo. That's where the Rugby World Cup final was due to be held but it wasn't ready in time, so the main matches were switched to Yokohama. That means none of the England players have been to this venue before. It has a capacity of 68,000, or up to 80,000 if they put seating on the running track but they probably won't do that. Tickets are still available, but there should be a big crowd. More than 60,000 turned out when Japan played the All Blacks in 2022 (which NZ only just won, with a score of 31-38).

The rainfront threatening Tokyo came back and dumped on us on Friday. It's officially start of the annual rainy season but it's expected stay dry tomorrow. For all the talk of terrible humidity, the rain has cleared the air a bit, so it might not be as muggy as feared.

I will have to be awake at 1:30 am, my time to see Charlie Ewels?  Def not my idea of a good time...

Thanks for all the background, mate....

Aside from a few players like Leitch can't say many of the Japan team are familiar. I'm sure Eddie got them good and ready with a few tricks up his sleeve though.

mountain man wrote:Aside from a few players like Leitch can't say many of the Japan team are familiar. I'm sure Eddie got them good and ready with a few tricks up his sleeve though.

My goodness, I can't believe Leitch is still playing. He must be about 100 years old. Seems as if he has been playing forever....

doctor_grey wrote:I will have to be awake at 1:30 am, my time to see Charlie Ewels?  Def not my idea of a good time...

Thanks for all the background, mate....

That's an odd take when Ewels is a bench option likely to get half an hour at most. Backline talent teaming with Saints talent for you as well.

Michael Leitch been superb for Japan for over a decade, he was capt in past(not sure if still is?) and has been Japan's Sergio Parisse. Raised standard of those around him for many a year. He is getting to end of career though now.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:I will have to be awake at 1:30 am, my time to see Charlie Ewels?  Def not my idea of a good time...

Thanks for all the background, mate....

That's an odd take when Ewels is a bench option likely to get half an hour at most. Backline talent teaming with Saints talent for you as well.

A half hour of Charlie Ewels is still a half hour too much.

I just hope the England back line can take advantage of not only the Saints, but I really want to see Smith M and IFW go off. This back line could be something.

Has an England team ever had so many hyphens?

carpet baboon wrote:Has an England team ever had so many hyphens?

Two of them with Feyi-Waboso and Cunningham-South. There are twice the number of vice captains.

carpet baboon wrote:Has an England team ever had so many hyphens?

They have become more common. In 12 months, we've had Hassell-Collins, Cunningham-South and Feyi-Waboso.

After Nigel Starmer-Smith in 1969, there wasn't a single hyphen until Richard Pool-Jones got a cap in 1998. A year later, Barrie-Jon Mather got in with a rare Christian name hyphen.

The first high profile England player with a double-barrelled name in the pro era was probably James Simpson-Daniel. Since him, we've had Doran-Jones (2009), Turner-Hall (2012) and Cowan-Dickie (2015). Don't know whether two of those ever overlapped in the same England team

Rugby Fan wrote:

carpet baboon wrote:Has an England team ever had so many hyphens?

They have become more common. In 12 months, we've had Hassell-Collins, Cunningham-South and Feyi-Waboso.

After Nigel Starmer-Smith in 1969, there wasn't a single hyphen until Richard Pool-Jones got a cap in 1998. A year later, Barrie-Jon Mather got in with a rare Christian name hyphen.

The first high profile England player with a double-barrelled name in the pro era was probably James Simpson-Daniel. Since him, we've had Doran-Jones (2009), Turner-Hall (2012) and Cowan-Dickie (2015). Don't know whether two of those ever overlapped in the same England team

This is an outrage! A damned outrage! We are effing-England. We must have hyphens. No-one does hyphens better blydi-England.

I don't care that it is probably a remnant of back in the day when marrying your cousin was good business and everyone had hyphens (don't mind that facial tic).

How-could-we-let-this-happen?

Rugby Fan wrote:

carpet baboon wrote:Has an England team ever had so many hyphens?

They have become more common. In 12 months, we've had Hassell-Collins, Cunningham-South and Feyi-Waboso.

After Nigel Starmer-Smith in 1969, there wasn't a single hyphen until Richard Pool-Jones got a cap in 1998. A year later, Barrie-Jon Mather got in with a rare Christian name hyphen.

The first high profile England player with a double-barrelled name in the pro era was probably James Simpson-Daniel. Since him, we've had Doran-Jones (2009), Turner-Hall (2012) and Cowan-Dickie (2015). Don't know whether two of those ever overlapped in the same England team

That is the kind of knowledge that keeps me coming back to this site.
Utterly useless but at the same time the exact kind of knowledge I crave.
Bravo sir. Bravo

At 1:00pm, the sun has dried yesterday's rain. It is intermittently cloudy, with temperatures likely to hit a high of around 28 degrees. A warm summer's day but not as humid as the player's experienced when they were last in Japan. All in all, a decent day for rugby.

Conditions look good, dry at least.
Pundits in studio in UK as expected but Flatman and co are good.

Not the most convincing start by England, couple dropped balls, pens conceded and one at scrum.
Japan though looking really sharp and as expected keeping pace very high. How long they can maintain it though might be key.

This is disappointing - the match stream does not work in USA, or so it seems.  Just got it going by watching on one of my laptops with the UK VPN. There was nothing indicating the Rugby Pass stream was geographically restricted.

Quick recap for you then, Japan v good, England not.

That's better, try for CCS.

Looked like it was on right from the lineout.

Japan had two lineout mauls with no return, while England have a try from their first. That's the main difference between the teams so far.

So far 115 metres gained by Japan and only 15 by England.

England conceded 2 or 3 breakdown pens, not good. Several dropped balls which looks like simple handling rather than moisture. Hard to tell on screen but doesn't look soaking.
Early days yet but England look a bit rusty but that's expected .
England kicking from hand not up to par either.
After 20 mins so far quite underwhelming

Early shove by Japan conveniently overlooked...

Great try, really good vision and pace by Smith.

Fantastic move and great line out throw by our fearless leader

This is what this England team should be able to do.

Nice set piece move creates a lovely gap for Smith to scoot through. Won’t catch out many international defences that easily, but what was encouraging was the number of options in support.

After that initial fumble of the kick off, CCS is having a good game, especially in defence.

Good start by CCS, he's putting himself about.

That looked easy.

Comedy quick tap from Rodd, but Smith draws the defenders and gives IFW a walk in. He’s reading the game well.

Smith does look very good. Mitchell pretty good as well. A team can go far with a strong halfback pairing.

Japan really trying to keep it fast paced.

Is Smith looking like the 10 SB wants?

England a bit lucky there, but it was definitely a knock on - a player coming forward loses control and then runs into the ball himself. It was, counter to the commentary, knocked forward.

After a shaky first 15 England setting in. Difference is they are taking chances and Japan aren't.
Smith showing he deserves start for sure.

Not a very straight lineout there. Ramos has been harsh on England for penalties but fairly lenient on the scrum offences.

The Japan number 5, Deans looks like Chessum. It's the curly hair

England finally get a breakdown penalty. They might have had a couple more.

CCS takes the lineout [whistles]

Japan starting to lose the breakdown battle. So maybe the initial 10-15 minutes was simply this England group getting the rust off? That said, England still don't look completely comfortable despite now being up 3-21.

Sloppy

Poor rucking there, though. The ball carrier got isolated and Japan will exploit that.

And the pattern repeats - another CCS lineout, another slow breakdown.

Lovely intercept from IFW

England definitely rusty. Scoreline flatters a bit although well taken tries.
Breakdown poor really by England, need to be better against NZ.

That was lovely. Great vision from Smith and Slade.

Marcus has had a brilliant first half, really good. What a kick for Slade try.

All a bit too easy for England this is....

Smith sees the space and puts in the crossfield kick for Slade to get the BP.

Three tries created in three different ways by Smith, with the forwards adding the first one to round out the mix of styles.

That was a nice kick to Slade for the try. But right before I was thinking England had stagnated near the Japan 22 and needed an idea. Then the great individual effort by Smith. But I want to see England go through the phases and unlock teams by doing the basics well.
3-26 at the half.

Do Japan still have Leitch playing? He must be knocking on 50 at this point?

Welshmushroom wrote:Do Japan still have Leitch playing?  He must be knocking on 50 at this point?

So you're not watching match then.