England 52-13 Japan LIVE! Rugby result, match stream, updates, reaction, TV for Autumn Nations Series today

England vs Japan - LIVE!

England were back in Autumn Nations Series action this afternoon with Twickenham treated to an instant response after last week’s shocker against Argentina. Eddie Jones’ side laboured badly in a sloppy, error-strewn opener six days ago, with the Pumas triumphing narrowly 30-29 to produce their first win at English rugby headquarters since 2006.

That was England’s fifth defeat of 2022 already to set alarm bells ringing ahead of huge Tests to come against the All Blacks and Springboks on successive weekends, with optimism fading after a winning summer tour of Australia followed another disappointing Six Nations. However, England bounced back in style against Japan, running in six tries plus a penalty score in a 52-13 thrashing in south-west London.

Marcus Smith and Guy Porter both had braces, with further efforts from man of the match Freddie Steward and prop Ellis Genge. Steward and scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet were the stars of the show in a much-improved display. Follow England vs Japan reaction live below, with expert analysis from Nick Purewal at Twickenham.

England vs Japan latest news

• FT: England 52-13 Japan

• Match report from Nick Purewal

• England player ratings

• Eddie Jones hails sensational Freddie Steward

• Jones: All Blacks challenge ‘not mission impossible’

Jamie Joseph reaction

20:40 , George Flood

"England played really well and put us under a lot of pressure, especially at the start of the match. You have to take your hat off to them," said Japan’s head coach.

"Their pressure game was far superior. We became a little frantic and pushed a few passes.

“When we can create momentum we can be very dangerous but we didn't do that in a Test that was a big game for our boys.”

More Eddie Jones reaction

20:39 , George Flood

“It’s an improvement. As we said at the start of November, each game we want to get a little bit better and we were definitely better than the Argentina game,” Jones said.

“I thought we played with a lot of purpose and we knew exactly how we wanted to play.

“As I said in the round-up after Argentina, the fault that we didn’t play like that against Argentina was my poor coaching, so this week it is not my poor coaching. It’s a good play from the players.”

Jones: All Blacks challenge ‘not mission impossible’

20:38 , George Flood

“It’s an opportunity to play against one of the giants of world rugby. For an England player it’s a massive opportunity,” Jones said ahead of next weekend’s visit of the All Blacks to Twickenham.

“If you look at the history of the sport, the game’s been going for 150 years and England have won 19 per cent of their Tests against New Zealand.

“There’s a narrative that says England can’t beat New Zealand but in 2019 we showed that if you’ve got the right attitude and the right game plan then history can be broken. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to break history again.

“They’re playing a slightly different style of game to what they used to but guys who played in that game - Owen Farrell, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Jamie George - are going to be important in reinforcing to the players that it’s not mission impossible.

“If we go after them then they’re there for the taking - and we’re going to go after them.”

19:15 , George Flood

Similar praise for the sensational Steward from captain Owen Farrell...

"I just know how good he is around the place, how much he wants to get better, how honest and hard-working he is," he said.

"Because of his aerial stuff his other skills don’t always get noticed but today he was breaking tackles and setting up tries."

Eddie Jones hails Freddie Steward

19:14 , George Flood

"It's only his 15th test but he keeps growing,” the England coach said of his man of the match.

"Today he got a lot of free ball which enabled him to run a bit more than usual and his kick-catch game was fantastic."

England player ratings

19:13 , George Flood

Freddie Steward 9

The Leicester full-back produced a peerless display under the high ball and bolstered England’s attacking game.

Joe Cokanasiga 7

A fine showing from the powerhouse wing who was pressed into late service after Jack Nowell’s injury.

Guy Porter 7

Claimed a try brace in a solid showing from the Leicester centre.

Owen Farrell 8

A much-improved showing from the England captain, who linked well with Smith.

Jonny May 7

Yellow card a blot but an otherwise industrious showing from the fit-again flier.

Marcus Smith 8

Built his partnership with Farrell and showed some deft touches.

Jack van Poortvliet 9

A major improvement to England’s attacking game with pace, precision and panache.

Click here to read Nick’s England player ratings in full

Match report

17:37 , George Flood

Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet elevated England’s attack and not before time as Eddie Jones’ men boosted morale and confidence by dispatching Japan at Twickenham, writes Nick Purewal.

Full-back Steward offered counter-attacking poise and high-ball presence, while Van Poortvliet added impetus and influence at half-back.

Guy Porter and Marcus Smith claimed two tries apiece, while further scores from Steward and Ellis Genge, to add to a penalty try, sealed England’s dominant 52-13 victory.

Not even a first-half yellow card for Jonny May could slow down a determined England, who atoned for last weekend’s 30-29 defeat by Argentina with a rampant attacking display.

England moved their record for 2022 back to five wins and five losses, but the big beasts of New Zealand and South Africa still await in this autumn.

Click here to read the match report in full

Full-time

17:05 , George Flood

England 52-13 Japan

Seven tries and just what the doctor ordered after the Argentina upset and with tough tests against the All Blacks and Springboks to come.

17:02 , George Flood

79 mins: Man of the match Steward weaves forward in search of one more England try, with a chance for Heyes but it’s knocked on by Slade after Smith’s pass.

How good has Steward been today? Just amazing.

17:00 , George Flood

76 mins: May is a whisker away from adding an eighth England try after a superb link-up with Farrell.

Eddie Jones’ men are relentless here, they are not content with a 39-point win.

TRY! England 52-13 Japan | Marcus Smith 74’

16:57 , George Flood

74 mins: Poor Matsushima.

Steward chips down the right wing after gathering Smith’s accurate kick and there’s a horrible bounce that totally deceives the Japan wing, allowing Slade to knock forward with his boot.

Smith then charges forward to touch down the loose ball to take England to 50 points.

A simple conversion is quickly added. The unflappable Farrell with a perfect day from the tee. 15 points from his boot.

16:55 , George Flood

72 mins: Japan are still not giving up here, to their credit.

They are on the attack again inside the final 10 minutes, but again England’s line speed is so furious and there’s a cracking tackle from Slade to kill off their dwindling momentum as Matsushima tried to make something happen down the right.

We should have mentioned a few minutes ago that Ben Youngs and Joe Heyes are both on for England now.

PENALTY TRY! England 45-13 Japan

16:50 , George Flood

69 mins: The England driving maul rolls towards the line with real momentum.

But it’s pulled down illegally and there’s a clear side entry from substitute Fifita.

Referee Doleman awards a penalty try and sends Fifita to the bin, no messing.

He protests his innocence but it won’t do any good. That’s try number six for England.

16:48 , George Flood

67 mins: Japan come again but England’s blitz defence is fierce and a moustached May roars in delight after keeping himself onside and proving the disruptor at the breakdown, earning a penalty.

A lineout infringement from Japan gives England the chance to get that lethal driving maul working...

16:46 , George Flood

65 mins: Japan have the bit between their teeth in search of a second try, camped in the England 22 and running through double-digit phases with some solid carries but slow ball and a lack of creativity.

Riley skips it through the legs of Slade, but Farrell gets back to touch it down before the South African-born Panasonic Wild Knights midfielder.

Henry Slade milestone

16:43 , George Flood

16:43 , George Flood

63 mins: The ball goes dead and England kick out from behind their own try line.

On come both Henry Slade and Manu Tuilagi.

Not bad subs to have these, are they?!

16:41 , George Flood

61 mins: Billy Vunipola is on for the final 20 minutes for England, with Hill off and Itoje into the second row.

One of his first contributions is to completely shut down Craig Millar, cutting off any pass or escape route and then making the hit.

England end up with the put-in at a scrum near midfield, but it’s a free-kick for Japan after a brake foot call.

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

16:39 , George Flood

England have just made two changes in the front row, and Mako Vunipola was immediately penalised at the scrum.

Japan seized on the alterations to claim their first set-piece reward of the day, with the hosts fully dominant up to that point. England have eased off but can ill afford to coast here.

TRY! England 38-13 Japan | Naoto Saito 58'

16:37 , George Flood

58 mins: England’s defence holds firm inside the 22, until a rip from Coles sends the ball loose and there’s a superb pick-up from the floor by Japan lock Dearns.

England appear to stop, awaiting a whistle for what they assume is a knock-on, but it isn’t and Saito waltzes in to score easy as you like.

A conversion is nailed by Lee in front of the posts. Something to shout about for Japan at last in this second half.

16:33 , George Flood

55 mins: Japan need a lift here with 25 minutes still to play and get one as they earn their first penalty at scrum time.

Finally a reprieve at the set-piece, but not a great start from England’s replacements in the front row.

Japan kick a lineout inside the 22. Can they reduce this mounting deficit?

16:31 , George Flood

52 mins: This is ruthless, ruthless stuff from England.

Jamie George, Mako Vunipola and Alex Coles are all on now.

Genge, Sinckler and debutant Ribbans off.

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

16:28 , George Flood

Van Poortvliet has added fine dynamism to England’s attack, even linking up with Smith for a fine counter-attack.

England look much more balanced with the 21-year-old at nine.

TRY! England 38-6 Japan | Guy Porter 50'

16:28 , George Flood

50 mins: Two tries in as many minutes from England!

Brilliant counter-rucking from Itoje and Hill scoops up possession, with a couple of one-handed passes over the top from both locks, the second deflected into May’s hands.

Farrell finds himself a makeshift scrum-half at the ruck and arrows a fast kick into the 22, which Porter chases and touches down over the line.

From defence to attack in the blink of an eye, superb line speed and breakdown work.

Farrell still perfect from the tee too. England lead by 32!

TRY! England 31-6 Japan | Ellis Genge 48'

16:25 , George Flood

48 mins: Brute force from Genge, who runs a great line and crashes straight over the unfortunate Van den Heever to touch down try number four of the afternoon for England.

England had moved the ball quickly from right to left and Japan certainly had enough defenders on that side of the pitch to deal with the danger.

But they were caught on their heels and the powerful Genge takes full advantage, crashing through with unstoppable strength.

A simple conversion is added.

16:22 , George Flood

46 mins: England kick for a lineout deep inside Japan’s 22 after an infringement on the floor.

Could Smith have potentially kept that in hand with an overload on offer?

Strong carrying and handling again from England, who look so much better in attack this afternoon.

Quicker and more dynamic.

16:19 , George Flood

43 mins: Plenty of distance on the kick from Lee but it misses way to the right of the posts.

England back to a full complement of 15 players as May returns from the bin.

16:18 , George Flood

41 mins: England chasing with menace again at the start of this second half as they look to continue their momentum.

Himeno drives forward with a fierce carry for Japan, who have a kickable penalty after he’s grabbed around the head by Hill.

Substitute 10 Lee with a tough kick from a difficult angle...

Second half

16:16 , George Flood

Back underway at Twickenham.

Can England stretch their lead even further?

A Japan change at the break as fly-half Yamasawa is replaced by Lee.

Watch: Porter scores easy first England try

16:13 , George Flood

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

16:05 , George Flood

Steward has starred in this first half and the full-back regathered his own high bomb to set England en route to try number three through Guy Porter.

Sam Simmonds’ lovely take and in-to-out step then left Porter with a walk-in. England full value for their 24-6 half-time lead.

Half-time

16:01 , George Flood

England 24-6 Japan

TRY! England 24-6 Japan | Guy Porter 40’

16:01 , George Flood

40 mins: England strike again on the stroke of half-time!

Steward with a superb aerial take from his own boot and there’s then a great chase on Van Poortvliet’s smart hooked kick.

England launch into the breakdown and have a turnover deep inside the Japan 22, with Van Poortvliet whipping a fine long pass out to Simmonds.

Simmonds cuts inside Riley and makes for the line before being brought down by Tatafu, but Porter is there to providing the finishing touches with his first international try.

Farrell still perfect from the tee. A very pleasing end to the first half for England.

15:58 , George Flood

38 mins: Japan can’t capitalise any more as a crucial kick misses touch and then some very poor handling almost puts them in all sorts of trouble.

Hill boots a loose ball forward into the 22 and Van den Heever accidentally sends it further towards the line before eventually regathering.

Heart in mouth stuff for the Brave Blossoms there.

PENALTY! England 17-6 Japan | Takuya Yamasawa 35’

15:55 , George Flood

35 mins: Japan are making the most of a good spell here after a woeful start.

They have the man advantage and another Yamasawa penalty cuts the England lead to 11 points five minutes before half-time.

Yellow card: Jonny May (England)

15:54 , George Flood

34 mins: England are piling on more pressure but suddenly there’s an interception from Leitch, who barrels forward, cuts inside and picks out a fine supporting run from Riley.

Riley then puts boot to ball and smartly gets around May, who saves a try but he’s not released his man and was also off his feet afterwards.

The Gloucester wing heads to the bin for killing the ball.

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

15:51 , George Flood

England have even pulled out their counter-attacking game here. Steward cut away, combining with Van Poortvliet to let Cokanasiga surge on.

And the big wing popped off the ground to send in Smith for a neat finish. England full value for the lead edging into the second quarter.

PENALTY! England 17-3 Japan | Takuya Yamasawa 32'

15:50 , George Flood

32 mins: The first sustained attack from Japan as they get into the 22 and Van Poortvliet is whistled for offside.

They elect to take the points and get on the board courtesy of a straightforward kick from Yamasawa.

15:48 , George Flood

29 mins: Japan are able to open up for the first time this afternoon and recycle the ball very nicely following the scrum, featuring a gorgeous one-handed offload that just comes off.

They create an overload and then switch the attack left, but Leitch is unable to stay in touch under pressure from Cokanasiga.

15:46 , George Flood

26 mins: Japan have simply not turned up here and need to get their bearings before this gets ugly.

So many errors and England are only growing in confidence.

The hosts think they have the put-in at a scrum midway inside the Japan half after a knock-on in an aerial tussle between Cokanasiga and Van den Heever, but the decision is reversed.

TRY! England 17-0 Japan | Marcus Smith 24'

15:43 , George Flood

24 mins: England think they have their second try after a wonderful, weaving break from Steward, who manages to then feed the pacy Van Poortvliet.

The scrum-half finds Cokanasiga, who is dragged down by a fantastic last-ditch tackle from Yamasawa.

But he has the presence of mind to pop the ball up to Smith off the deck, with the fly-half touching down in the corner with a tackler draped all over him.

Suspicions of a foot in touch but a terrific try is given after a TMO check!

Another difficult conversion sails over from Farrell and England are rolling at 17-0.

15:40 , George Flood

22 mins: Kicking exchanges follow a timely interception from Japan as Nagare tries to chase down his own boot forward.

Possession flying back and forth here as Japan initially try to get their attacking game working once more.

Almost a tackle in the air from Steward, but now he’s breaking...

15:39 , George Flood

19 mins: A third scrum penalty conceded by Japan inside the first 20 minutes as the struggling Koo is now pinged for not driving straight.

Farrell kicks for a lineout just outside the Japan 22, which Itoje gathers nicely to set up another England attack.

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

15:37 , George Flood

Kyle Sinckler’s on his third pair of shorts already for England, but the home scrum is in fine order, whatever their tighthead prop’s sartorial struggles.

The hosts have won two good penalties from the set-piece with Japan struggling for parity.

15:35 , George Flood

18 mins: This Japan defence is creaking badly now as England’s quicker attacking approach almost pays off again, only for Van Poortvliet to knock on while trying to keep an incisive move sweeping towards the try line.

Great hands and carrying from England.

15:33 , George Flood

15 mins: May’s pace is giving Japan real concern early on here.

We have another scrum, where England impose their dominance once more as Japan tighthead Koo crumples and hits the deck again under severe pressure from Genge.

Sinckler wanting a change of shorts...

Nick Purewal at Twickenham

15:31 , George Flood

Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell clicked into gear for England’s first try, swapping roles to send Freddie Steward home.

Farrell stepped in at 10 after a maul and fed Smith, who drew the defence and sent full-back Steward over the whitewash. Encouraging from the midfield axis.

TRY! England 10-0 Japan | Freddie Steward 12’

15:29 , George Flood

12 mins: The first try of the afternoon!

After the rolling maul is held up, England work the ball left with real pace as they crucially take advantage of Japan’s eagerness to fly out of defence.

Van Poortvliet and Farrell - deputising at 10 for a moment - quickly combine to tee up Smith, who then fires over to Steward on his left shoulder.

Steward was almost running laterally in anticipation there, a great line to receive possession and then pop through the gap to run in unopposed.

A tricky conversion is made by Farrell. England lead 10-0. Great try.

15:26 , George Flood

10 mins: The first scrum of the game goes England’s way, with Genge forcing Koo to fold under pressure.

Penalty England that is thundered into touch just inside the Japan 22.

15:25 , George Flood

9 mins: Superb turnover from England inside their own 22 and the lightning fast May is sent scampering after a booming kick forward.

Panic stations for Japan, with a messy clearance unable to be gathered by Itoje, who would have had so many players offside there.

It’s a knock-on though and a first scrum, Japan ball.

15:23 , George Flood

7 mins: Japan attack with a penalty advantage now after good work from scrum-half Nagare at the back of the ruck to draw England’s forward on and catch Genge offside.

They try to break into their free-flowing style, but can’t find an opening and we come back for the penalty that is drilled into touch on the near side.

PENALTY! England 3-0 Japan | Owen Farrell 5'

15:21 , George Flood

5 mins: England’s rolling maul is contained and they have a free hit after an offside as Smith’s attempted cross-kick is charged down by Yamanaka.

Farrell won’t turn down the chance of points this time and kicks a simple penalty to put England in front early.

15:19 , George Flood

3 mins: England on the attack with a penalty advantage after Japan are pinged for a breakdown infringement.

There’s a lovely pass over the top from Smith, but play breaks down and we come back for the penalty that Farrell kicks to touch.

15:17 , George Flood

2 mins: A furious start with early kick exchanges and Japan then eager to get the ball moving between the hands, solid defending from the likes of Itoje, Genge and Curry in particular.

15:16 , George Flood

1 min: Good to see England back in their familiar white strips at home today after wearing black against Argentina last weekend.

Japan in navy blue.

KICK-OFF

15:15 , George Flood

We are underway at Twickenham!

Can England mount a stirring response to that shock Argentina defeat with the All Blacks and Springboks still to come this autumn?

Kiwi referee James Doleman blows his whistle and Farrell kicks to get us off and running...

15:11 , George Flood

Impeccably observed and very poignant.

Now come the national anthems, with Japan’s ‘Kimigayo’ up first followed by God Save the King.

15:09 , George Flood

Here come the teams with the usual pyrotechnics at Twickenham.

Before the national anthems, we’ll have the Last Post performed on Remembrance Weekend, followed by a minute’s silence.

Standard Sport’s Nick Purewal at Twickenham

15:01 , George Flood

Unseasonably warm conditions at Twickenham.

England losing vice-captain and wing Jack Nowell before kick-off to injury was a real blow.

Another chance for Bath powerhouse Joe Cokanasiga to impress.

14:59 , George Flood

“It’s not about anger, it’s about playing as well as we can.”

Speaking to Amazon Prime Video ahead of kick-off, Jones insists there have been no cross words in camp after the Argentina defeat.

Asked about Nowell’s injury, he jokes: “It’s a fast bowler side strain. He was clearly playing too hard in the hotel corridor.”

David Ribbans set for debut

14:50 , George Flood

David Ribbans making his senior England debut today.

It comes one week after Northampton team-mate Alex Coles also made his Test bow at Twickenham.

Ribbans is Coles’ replacement in the second row this afternoon, alongside Jonny Hill.

Jones explains Simmonds selection call

14:39 , George Flood

And here’s Eddie Jones explaining his decision to bring in Sam Simmonds for Billy Vunipola at No8 today, with his added pace potentially crucial around the park.

“It’s just a change in roles between Sam and Billy,” he said.

“Sam’s got good pace, which is particularly important against Japan, so we feel that he will be suited to the start of the game.”

14:34 , George Flood

Confirmation of that late change from England...

14:25 , George Flood

England’s arrival at Twickenham earlier on...

Breaking: Nowell OUT as Cokanasiga starts

14:18 , George Flood

Breaking news from Twickenham, where there has been a very late change to England’s starting XV.

Jack Nowell has withdrawn due to what is being described as an “abdominal wall injury”, so Joe Cokanasiga - who was dropped entirely for this fixture - starts on the wing instead.

A blow for Jones to lose one of his influential leaders, who backs up skipper Owen Farrell along with fellow vice-captain Ellis Genge.

Jones: Japan are ‘one of the most cohesive teams in the world’

14:16 , George Flood

Eddie Jones has a great affinity with Japan of course, having coached the Brave Blossoms between 2012-15.

Who could possibly forget that epic World Cup upset of the Springboks in Brighton in 2015, probably the greatest shock in the sport’s history.

And Jones was full of praise for the current Japan team in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

“Japan are a good team. They have the luxury of having long preparations and I’ve been the benefactor of that,” he said.

“I think the most cohesive teams in the world in the way they play are Ireland and Japan. They’ve almost got a sixth sense between their players because they practise so much together.”

England vs Japan prediction

14:07 , George Flood

This is either a great or terrible time to be facing England, depending on your viewpoint.

As poor as they were at times against Argentina, they will surely be itching to rebound in emphatic style back at Twickenham today.

The likes of the sniping Van Poortvliet and wily May will offer a much-needed injection of pace in the backs and Simmonds provides real dynamism from the base of the scrum.

Japan are certainly no pushovers, as they showed against New Zealand, but are set to run into an England team hoping to make a statement before the All Blacks and Springboks come to town on back-to-back weekends.

England to win by 17 points.

England vs Japan officials

14:05 , George Flood

Referee: James Doleman (NZR)

Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA)

Assistant Referee 2: Craig Evans (WRU)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)

Japan make only their second visit to Twickenham

14:00 , George Flood

The Japan team arriving at Twickenham this afternoon.

Their only other visit to this ground was back in November 2018, when they performed brilliantly but fell victim to a second-half England comeback 35-15 with tries from Danny Care, Mark Wilson, Joe Cokanasiga and Dylan Hartley.

The only other previous meeting was a 60-7 romp for England at the inaugural Rugby World Cup back in 1987.

England were supposed to tour 2019 World Cup hosts Japan in the summer of 2020, but that was called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jamie George makes miraculous recovery

13:51 , George Flood

Another significant injury boost for England alongside Jonny May comes on the bench, where Jamie George backs up starting hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie less than six weeks after breaking two metatarsals in Saracens’ meeting with Leicester.

It is a remarkably quick recovery from the 32-year-old, who will hope to see the majority of the second half this afternoon.

Jones: England must manage Tuilagi workload

13:40 , George Flood

There was much excitement regarding England’s midfield trio of Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi lining up together for the first time last weekend, but the attack malfunctioned against Argentina.

Tuilagi had a remarkably quiet game by his standards as the dual-playmaker system struggled to find him much space in which to operate or opportunities to exploit.

The hulking, injury-prone centre is on the bench today, with Eddie Jones stressing that England must carefully manage his latest phased return to the international arena.

"It's all about workload. We've given him a lighter week of training. He'll still be able to finish for us," Jones said.

"We just feel that with Manu's injury record, to play four big games in a row is probably not in his best interests at the moment.

"Whenever you've got a powerful player with soft tissue injuries, you've got to experiment a little bit.

"It's about what's the right training load, what's the right kind of training, what's the right rehabilitation, what's the right recovery?

"You can't go to a textbook and look up: 'Chapter one - difficult players to manage'. There's just no textbook for it, so it's a matter of experimentation.

"It's a matter of cohesion between the staff here and at Sale, the medical staff and strength and conditioning staff, and I think that's being done really well.

"We've got him in a good position now, he played 60-odd minutes against Japan, he trained with us yesterday (Wednesday) and did most of the training.

"He's in a really good spot, he looks lean, he looks healthy and we'll get a good result from him off the bench."

England must banish World Cup thoughts to rescue series

13:29 , George Flood

Eddie Jones has warned his England players to mind the gap year. The England head coach reckons the 12-month build-up to next year’s World Cup in France has left every Test nation in a state of flux, writes Nick Purewal.

From Covid shutdowns across the globe to Worcester and Wasps hitting the wall at home, enforced isolations and unprecedented situations continue to bite. Jones believes this “messy period” in the run to the World Cup is when Test teams can truly find themselves.

The trouble is, England do not have the luxury afforded to students pressing pause on their education for an impromptu sabbatical. The Test arena’s daily grind is all too real, and all too in England’s face, as Jones and Co found out to their cost in last weekend’s chastening 30-29 home defeat by Argentina.

England let their minds do the wandering last week, with thoughts drifting to the World Cup in France, and they can ill afford the same fate tomorrow. England’s 2022 Test record of five defeats and only four wins makes for concerning reading, even though two of those victories secured a series triumph in Australia.

New Zealand and South Africa are yet to come this autumn, and if that does not concentrate minds, nothing will. Jones believes the World Cup will provide the true barometer of quality.

Click here to read Nick’s full match preview

Improved conditions at England HQ

13:24 , George Flood

Twickenham looking far calmer and sunnier than for last weekend’s opener against Argentina, where torrential rain, grey skies and a slick ball and pitch certainly did not help England or lead to much by way of exciting running rugby.

The conditions did clear up for the second half, though, so it can’t be used as an excuse to justify what was an error-strewn, sloppy display full of ill-discipline and a disjointed England attack.

A huge improvement required this afternoon.

Brave Red Roses defeated in dramatic World Cup final

13:16 , George Flood

England have already suffered one major rugby disappointment today, with the battling Red Roses going down 34-31 to hosts and defending champions New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup final at Eden Park despite a truly valiant effort in an incredible game played in front of a record crowd.

Simon Middleton’s side led for much of the way despite playing more than an hour down to 14 after Lydia Thompson’s early red card for a dangerous tackle.

Harlequins hooker Amy Cokayne had a hat-trick of tries, but sadly it wasn’t enough as Ayesha Leti-i’iga’s stylish score proved decisive and the Black Ferns defence held strong in a nail-biting finish.

It was England’s first Test defeat since the summer of 2019, ending that amazing 30-match winning streak in agonising fashion.

Read the full story here

England vs Japan lineups in full

13:09 , George Flood

England XV: F Steward, J Cokanasiga, G Porter, O Farrell (capt), J May, M Smith, J Van Poortvliet, E Genge, L Cowan-Dickie, K Sinckler, D Ribbans, J Hill, M Itoje, T Curry, S Simmonds.

Replacements: J George, M Vunipola, J Heyes, A Coles, B Vunipola, B Youngs, H Slade, M Tuilagi.

Japan XV: Yamanaka, Matsushima, Riley, Nakamura, Van den Heever, Yamasawa, Nagare, Tatafu, Himeno, Leitch, Cornelsen, Dearns, Koo, Sakate (capt), Inagaki.

Replacements: Horikoshi, Millar, Kizu, Van der Walt, Labuschagne, Saito, Lee, Fifita.

Japan make one alteration after All Blacks Test

13:08 , George Flood

Japan’s Kiwi coach Jamie Joseph shows just one change from the team that gave a makeshift All Blacks side a run for their money in Tokyo last month before succumbing 38-31.

It’s out on the wing, where South African-born Gerhard van den Heever replaces Siosaia Fifita, who is on the bench.

Five changes for England from Argentina upset with pace needed

13:05 , George Flood

Eddie Jones has made five changes to his England starting XV today after that abject showing against the Pumas, with added pace the order of the day.

Jonny May is back starting an international Test for the first time in 12 months after injury, while Sam Simmonds is in at No8 and Jack van Poortvliet gets the nod at scrum-half.

Guy Porter also comes in at outside centre and Northampton’s David Ribbans is handed his senior England debut in the second row.

Manu Tuilagi will be utilised from the bench this afternoon as Jones looks to carefully manage his latest phased return to Test rugby, with Billy Vunipola, Ben Youngs and Alex Coles also demoted to finisher duty.

Joe Cokanasiga was dropped from the matchday squad altogether despite his try against Argentina, meanwhile.

How to watch England vs Japan

13:00 , George Flood

TV channel and live stream: Today’s match will be broadcast live in the UK via Amazon Prime Video.

The Amazon Prime Video app is available across multiple platforms including smart televisions, with a subscription to the service currently costing £8.99 per month.

Welcome to England vs Japan LIVE coverage

12:56 , George Flood

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s latest LIVE coverage of the Autumn Nations series.

We’re back at a sunnier Twickenham today, where England will be expected to produce a dominant victory over Japan to bounce back from last weekend’s shock first defeat by Argentina since 2009 and provide an injection of optimism with huge challenges against the All Blacks and Springboks to come.

Kick-off in south-west London today is at the later time of 3.15pm GMT, so stay tuned for all the latest team news, lineups and full match build-up, plus live minute-by-minute updates of the action itself.

Standard Sport’s rugby correspondent Nick Purewal will be provide expert analysis across the afternoon.