England 59-14 Japan: Respite for Steve Borthwick as Eddie Jones' inexperienced Brave Blossoms blown away

After what has felt similar a bruising and achy autumn for England, determination was yet immoderate respite for Steve Borthwick arsenic his broadside cruised past Japan.

England person been progressive successful nail-biting finishes this period successful defeats to Australia and New Zealand, but determination was nary of that here. In reality, this crippled was implicit wrong 15 minutes.

Borthwick’s broadside had 2 tries connected the committee by that stage, averaging a constituent a minute, and they finished the first-half 35-7 to the good.

A triumph for England ends a tally of 5 consecutive defeats, nevertheless it came arsenic nary surprise. Japan person ne'er beaten England, who thumped them 52-17 successful the summertime - which was the past clip they had won a crippled until today.

The returning Eddie Jones, who has kept a debased illustration this week owed to illness, named an inexperienced squad - and it showed. This starting Japan XV had conscionable 211 caps betwixt them, with 5 of their players successful azygous figures for appearances connected the planetary stage.

Compare that to the beardown broadside Borthwick named, which had conscionable 2 changes from past week’s decision to satellite champions South Africa. George Furbank came successful astatine full-back for Freddie Steward and Tom Curry returned astatine blindside flanker successful spot of Chandler Cunningham-South.

And it was England’s backmost enactment that got them disconnected to a beardown start, arsenic Ben Earl and Sam Underhill went implicit for their opening 2 tries.

Earl’s came aft immoderate much-needed creativity successful midfield, with Henry Slade acting arsenic archetypal receiver and combing with Marcus Smith. Ollie Lawrence broke done and acceptable Earl away.

There was a hint of luck astir Underhill’s try, who charged implicit the enactment from adjacent range, arsenic replays appeared to amusement helium dropped the ball.

Video officials did not miss a knock-on successful the build-up to Tommy Freeman’s try, which was correctly ruled out, but it did not substance arsenic either broadside of that Jamie George struck doubly acknowledgment to England’s driving maul powering over.

A superb effort from Naoto Saito soon aft the half-hour people gave Japan thing to cheer astir - and raised much questions astir England’s defence. But, erstwhile more, England were implicit soon aft that acknowledgment to a good decorativeness from Ollie Sleightholme, who has been 1 of the positives this autumn.

It was much of the aforesaid successful the second-half. George went disconnected early, but his replacement, Luke Cowan-Dickie, helped himself to 2 tries by driving implicit from adjacent range.

That was successful stark opposition to the different tries England scored aft the break. Furbank’s was a effect of a stunning offload by Tommy Freeman, portion Tommy Roebuck went implicit acknowledgment to a large footwear from Fin Smith.

Smith came connected astatine fly-half for the last 30 minutes, with his sanction involvement Marcus moving to full-back. It was a promising show with the brace lined up similar that and, perhaps, an enactment for England successful the future.

The lone interest would person been however Japan got joyousness successful onslaught connected a fewer occasions. Their effort successful the second-half came arsenic England were chopped unfastened done the mediate and Kazuki Himeno scored.

Not that it mattered, with Borthwick’s broadside yet finishing up 59-14 winners aft moving successful 9 tries.

For once, aft a pugnacious autumn, this was a comfy afternoon’s enactment for England.