Ojomoh and Pollock handed starts as England revamp for Japan clash

Max Ojomoh and Henry Pollock have been named in England’s starting XV as Steve Borthwick makes multiple changes for the Test against Japan in south-west London on Saturday afternoon, a chance for fringe players to press their claims for next year’s World Cup in Australia.

Borthwick’s reshuffle comes after England’s 45-22 win over Australia last Sunday and follows a run in which England have posted half-century point tallies in both of their two most recent meetings with the Brave Blossoms. George Ford, who has 108 caps, remains in the squad and faces scrutiny of his form as the team experiments, while the head coach judged a possible six-day turnaround manageable by introducing fresh players for this fixture.

Several squad members view the match as an opportunity to force their way into future selections, with Ojomoh’s return to the midfield and Pollock’s involvement at No 8 singled out as particularly important. Will Joseph and the uncapped Archie McParland are also cited as players with potential international futures in this selection window.

Ojomoh has not played for England since being voted player of the match against Argentina this time last year and his recall follows injuries to Seb Atkinson and Benhard van Rensburg that opened a pathway back to 12. He has acknowledged the stop-start nature of his international career, saying: "I’ve been in and out of the England squad since I was 21. So, on the one hand how long are you going to be hurt by something before you’re just like: ‘Whatever.’"

Management want Ojomoh to provide creative spark but also to contribute defensively and around the breakdown, with those off-ball attributes part of what could revive his stalled England career. Pollock’s pace and dynamism have been noted, but the coaching staff will be assessing his decision-making and distribution in congested midfield situations.

Selection debates centre on positional flexibility: the piece questions whether three specialist outside-halves can make a 33-man World Cup squad given the presence of Fin and Marcus Smith, and the potential for George Furbank, Henry Slade and possibly Ojomoh to cover 10 against Zimbabwe in the pool stages. Borthwick’s continuing respect for the 33-year-old Ford is recorded, alongside the value placed on playmakers who can control games with their kicking.

In the forwards, Jamie George and Ollie Chessum are absent from this line-up, Warner Dearns is described as outstanding, and England will test the lineout accuracy of Luke Cowan-Dickie and Theo Dan. Joe Heyes remains on hand from the bench should scrum problems emerge, while Ellis Genge, Cowan-Dickie and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have opportunities to reaffirm their credentials.

The driving maul is expected to be a primary attacking weapon, a tactic underscored by recent maul try tallies: four of South Africa’s six first-half tries against Italy came from mauls, and there were four maul tries before half-time in the Scotland–New Zealand game. England’s substantial pack makes that method attractive, and the article even suggests that "a fiver on Cowan-Dickie to score at least two close-range tries could be a wise investment." The report also notes England scored seven tries against the Wallabies yet made 22 visits to the Australian 22.

Japan’s best hope, the coverage says, lies in playing fast and smart to disrupt England’s rhythm, a strategy hinted at by Japan’s narrow defeat in Cardiff last week, while Eddie Jones’s familiarity with England’s approach—recalling the 2015 World Cup upset in Brighton when Borthwick was his forwards coach—is referenced.

This fixture represents a final audition for fringe players to make their case before England’s next Test against the All Blacks, with selection implications for the World Cup squad and a requirement that England demonstrate complete, multi-departmental performance to challenge New Zealand next week.