Will Joseph scores five as England rout Japan 78-15 at Twickenham

Will Joseph scored five tries as England beat Japan 78-15 at Twickenham on Saturday in a match that produced thirteen tries in total.

A capacity crowd, bolstered by junior tickets sold at £15, created an unusually loud and youthful atmosphere at Twickenham. Japan boss Eddie Jones criticised the in-stadium prompts for fans, saying, "Being a spectator and being told when to make noise is a bit funny," and sat stony-faced in the coaching box when a big-screen message asking for more volume reappeared during his side's 78-15 defeat; Jones was returning to Twickenham where he had been head coach for seven years.

Joseph, 24, had only one England cap prior to Saturday, earned under Jones during the summer 2022 tour to Australia when he was a teenage apprentice thrust into the second Test as a late replacement. His progress since then has been interrupted: he struggled for game time and fitness at Harlequins after London Irish's bankruptcy forced him to leave his boyhood club, and an auto-immune condition cost him the hearing in his left ear.

Now part of a group of young English-qualified backs at Gloucester this season, Joseph was deployed out wide and produced the match-defining moments, scoring after 60 seconds and completing a hat-trick by the 19th minute before finishing with a cartwheeling plant for his fourth. Japan flanker Ben Gunter offered consolation to full-back Kazuma Ueda after being beaten to the corner, and Joseph reflected on his return: "It has been a challenging four years, but I have enjoyed the journey to get back here and I am happy all that hard work I have put in has paid off," he said. "I have had a taste for it now and I can't wait to do it again." Former England wing Chris Ashton commented on BBC Radio 5 Live: "He is pretty similar to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in the way he plays his game. He is just so fast. He doesn't look too fast in the first two steps and then he is just gone. He gets away from people."

The article recalled that Joseph and Henry Arundell were both taken on the 2022 Australia tour; Arundell scored in the first Test and won his second and third caps on that trip. The following year Arundell made his first England start in the Six Nations, secured a place in the Rugby World Cup squad and scored five tries against Chile in Lille in a pool match, a performance the piece described as electric against limited opposition but one in which he has "yet to convince in sterner Tests." The write-up noted Joseph "still has those to come" and added, "A shade slower, but a smidge smarter, he may be better suited to the Test scene."

There were encouraging displays elsewhere for England: George Martin led the carry and tackle statistics in a comeback showing after a 14-month injury lay-off that ended in May; Ellis Genge provided physicality; Maro Itoje continued his rejuvenation after a summer off; and Max Ojomoh was effective in the midfield. Henry Pollock contributed defensively and at the breakdown despite finding it harder to influence the game with ball in hand. Head coach Steve Borthwick will await medical updates on Ollie Chessum, Seb Atkinson and George Furbank, who are "hoping to return in time for the All Blacks," and Saturday's win was England's fourth in a row after five successive defeats.

Borthwick told BBC 5 Live: "The team is really starting to play well," and added, "The speed and positioning in attack was very good which gave us options to be able to move the ball. There was intent to play fast, with all the strengths of English rugby. We've got some really great attacking talent and I think we are seeing that. The balance of pass-kick decisions was really good. Ultimately I think one of the main things is the supporters really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was excellent." Even Jones allowed himself a smile at the end, joking: "It kills me that Will Joseph, I gave him his first cap, he scores five tries against me. Now that's not being very loyal, is it?" He added, "He's a great kid. He always was going to be a good player."

England face New Zealand next Saturday — a fixture the report described as "definitely a step up" after the All Blacks were stung by defeat by Wales — a selection decision Steve Borthwick may have to make about whether to carry Joseph's form into that game.