England hit back to see off Japan
By Mark Stevens
17/11/18
England coach Eddie Jones said his team needed a change in attitude to turn around their latest Quilter Autumn International against Japan at Twickenham.
Despite taking a third-minute lead through Danny Care’s try, it was the visitors who deservedly took a 15-10 lead into the break thanks to tries from Ryoto Nakamura and captain Michael Leitch.
However, some stern words from Jones during the interval appeared to have the desired effect as England - who included five Exeter Chiefs players in their match-day squad - hit back powerfully to win the game 35-15.
Tries from Mark Wilson, Joe Cokanasiga and Dylan Hartley, plus two George Ford penalties, helped turn the tide for the hosts, who will wrap up their Autumn series with the visit of Australia to HQ next Saturday.
Post-match, Jones gave his assessment of the game, saying: “Maybe we got seduced after scoring an easy try in the first few minutes. The players subconsciously think it's going to be easy and that showed in our attitude and effort, which was disappointing.
“Japan are a difficult side to play against if you haven't played them before but I think our second-half response was excellent."
Jones had made 11 changes to the team that went so close to beating New Zealand last week, including handing starts to Chiefs props Alec Hepburn and Harry Williams, and Jack Nowell in a new-look midfield alongside Alex Lozowoski.
However, England struggled during the first period and it took Jones to change things round from thebench in the second half before they made their mark.
“It was a game that tested us today - we put out a different team, different combinations and there wasn't a lot of cohesion. But it was a fantastic test for us and our players will have learned a lot from it,” added Jones. “The attitude was better and we played like England in the second half.”
Jones was full of praise for Japan, the team he coached to their famous World Cup win over South Africa in 2015 and who host the tournament next year.
“When I brought them over to Europe we played Georgia, Romania and the French Barbarians,” he said. “But now they get to play the All Blacks and England in front of 82,000 at Twickenham. It’s fantastic for them. They are a proper rugby country and I’m really pleased for them.”
