Borthwick names changed England side to face Japan after audition against Australia
Steve Borthwick has selected an England team to play Japan on Saturday in the Nations Championship after their performance against Australia at Twickenham last week. The coach has made multiple changes while retaining a mix of experienced internationals and in-form domestic players.
England’s display at Twickenham last week impressed observers for its discipline, set-piece strength and variety of tries, leaving many satisfied with both result and performance. Questions remain about how a much-changed side will raise its level against Japan, with the 2018 meeting between the two nations cited as a cautionary example of how quickly international careers can be affected.
Borthwick has named Henry Pollock to start and included Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph, both described as being in strong domestic form. Monye notes Ojomoh was man of the match in his last England appearance against Argentina and has waited almost a year for another international opportunity, underlining that selection is not guaranteed.
The selection contains a spine of experienced players with George Ford, Freddie Steward and Henry Slade occupying key positions intended to support younger backs such as Ojomoh. Monye wrote that Jack van Poortvliet, whom he regarded as the man of the match against Australia, will operate at scrum-half.
On tactics, England are expected to target the aerial exchanges, the scrum and the maul while also being urged to match Japan’s pace by moving the ball into space. The writer urged that mistakes made while playing expansively are preferable to errors born of a conservative approach.
Monye warned England not to take support for granted, pointing to a “lifeless” Wembley during a recent England fixture where Harry Kane became England’s most capped player in history, he has only just won the Ballon d’Or, and the crowd was disengaged despite a 7-0 win over Croatia. He added that Eddie Jones will seek to unsettle England early; Australia were passive in the first half against England last week, but Jones is not a passive figure and will attempt to disrupt the hosts’ start.
The coach made ten changes and two positional moves to this matchday squad, some of which were enforced by injury. Monye accepted arguments for giving combinations that will face the All Blacks more time together but said it was sensible to rest Fin Smith, Fin Baxter and Tommy Freeman so they can continue preparations for New Zealand.
After this weekend the permutations for finals weekend will become clearer; Monye concluded that a win on Saturday followed by a victory against the All Blacks—having beaten them for the first time at Twickenham since 2012 last year—could substantially alter what Borthwick’s side might achieve by the end of the month.