2. England 35 – 15 Japan: 2018 Autumn Internationals
November 17th 2018, Twickenham Stadium, London
England and Japan had to wait a staggering 31 years before their next test match encounter, which came during the 2018 Autumn Internationals. There was great anticipation to witness the progression of the Brave Blossoms, as Japan would be set to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup in less than a year’s time. The visitors had an immediate impact at Twickenham, with first half tries from centre Ryoto Nakamura and captain Michael Leitch.
Yu Tamura added a first half penalty and one conversion from the tee, with Japan stunning the Twickenham faithful for a half half lead. Despite an early Danny Care try and the kicking prowess of Elliot Daly, England trailed at the break to the underdogs. England Head Coach Eddie Jones knew all too well of the possibility of an upset, after he led Japan to their memorable 2015 Rugby World Cup win over South Africa. Luckily for England, Japan had exhausted their arsenal in the first half, and failed to register a point in the second 40 minutes.
Second half tries from Mark Wilson, Joe Cokanasiga and Dylan Hartley brought England a comfortable lead, which they were able to hold out on for victory. This match also marked the England debuts of the try-scoring Cokanasiga and Bath flanker Ted Hill. Another memorable milestone was achieved in this match against Japan, as George Ford made his 50th test cap for his country.
3. England 52-13 Japan: 2022 Autumn Internationals
November 12th, 2022, Twickenham Stadium, London
The third and most recent encounter between England and Japan came in last year’s Autumn Internationals. The Brave Blossoms returned to Twickenham full of fire, after putting in impressive an performance against the All Blacks the week prior (38-31 defeat). England were eager to shake off their recent 30-29 loss to Argentina, in what was the first defeat to the Pumas at Twickenham since 2006.
Fullback Freddie Steward began England’s try count after just 12 minutes, with Marcus Smith adding his first of two tries before the half hour mark. Northampton centre Guy Porter then scored his first on the stroke of half-time, before Ellis Genge re-started the scoring just eight minutes after the break.
Porter completed his brace after 50 minutes, with Harlequins talisman Smith scoring his second six minutes from full-time. A penalty try gave England a guaranteed seven-pointer, with Japan struggling to keep up with the home side. A consolation score from Naioto Saito was converted by Lee Seung-sin, and Takuya Yamasawa added two penalties from the tee.
England and Japan both entered the 2023 Rugby World Cup with just one win throughout their Summer campaigns. Both sides suffered defeats to Fiji, with Samoa and Italy also recording wins over Japan. Now, after a return to winning form for both England and Japan, an exciting contest is expected this Sunday in Nice. Steve Borthwick’s men have the expected advantage, yet there is no ruling out the possibility of an upset when it comes to Japan at the Rugby World Cup.