England secure bonus-point win over Japan in Nice

17 Sep 2023 | 5 min |

England secure bonus-point win over Japan in Nice

Three second half tries helped England overcome Japan 34-12 at Stade de Nice.

Tries from Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and Joe Marchant as well as 14 points from the boot of George Ford secured the victory, as England held off a tough Japanese side whose points came via the boot of Rikiya Matsuda.

England set a rapid pace to the Test, as a deep Elliot Daly kick onto the Japan try-line was fumbled by full back Semisi Masirewa, leading to prime attacking position inside the opening minute. After scrum half Alex Mitchell went through a few phases, Japan were judged offside by referee Nika Amashukeli, and Ford opted to convert the simplest of penalties in front of the sticks.

A pair of penalties from opposite man Matsuda on 15 and 23 minutes got the Brave Blossoms back into the Test, but their lead was short lived as Ollie Chessum capitalised on an overthrown five-metre lineout, before Ludlam powered over on the next phase to claim England's first Rugby World Cup try since the 2019 semi-final. Ford added the extras to make it 10-6.

Matsuda bagged another penalty cutting the deficit to a single point, and although England made an error off a promising attacking lineout five metres out as half time approached, Ford was on hand before the break extending the score to 13-9. Steve Borthwick's men boasted more possession (60%), carries (40) and rucks won (33) after the first 40, whilst Japan gained eight more metres, made two more clean breaks and beat one more defender.

Matsuda claimed his twelfth point 15 minutes into the resumption, but England bounced back - benefitting from a fortuitous bounce - as a Ford pass hit Joe Marler's head and acted as a grubber behind the opposition line. Captain Lawes collected it and touched down for his second Test try, Ford's conversion opened up a two score advantage.

England's third try came on 66 minutes, as Ford scanned out wide before dropping a perfectly weighted cross-field kick off his left boot into the path of the onrushing Steward, who pinched it out of the air, and showed some acrobatic skill to neatly finish the effort in the corner. Ford's extras made it 27-12.

Borthwick's replacements added some zip to the final moments of the match, Marcus Smith and Ollie Lawrence combining fluently, though their surge into Japanese territory was thwarted.

England's persistence was rewarded in the final play of the match, as Marchant slid over from close range after a barrage of heavy carries from the forwards close to the line, confirming the bonus point win. England have now won their last four meetings with Japan, this their second at a Rugby World Cup - the first coming in 1987 (60-7).

Reaction

George Ford: "Japan are a great team, they challenge you in different ways, they have an unbelievable attitude to never give in, and it took until that third or fourth quarter for us to pull away a little bit which we planned for in the week. It probably wasn't the prettiest to watch, we had to build the game in a different way to get our point in the end but I thought we showed good discipline.

"There is no frustration from our end, we understand what wins Test matches, and I can understand what people see on TV or in the stands but we understand that building pressure is more important and especially in those conditions tonight, sometimes when you force it too early you make it a tight game. Overall we're happy with the performance."

Steve Borthwick: "It was a tough game against a really well coached Japan team. We are delighted with the result. Regardless of the game plan the players need to adapt and find a way to ensure they get the result and they did that tonight. It's important the players and supporters enjoy this win."

Teams

England

15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jonny May, 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Elliot Daly, 10. George Ford, 9. Alex Mitchell, 1. Joe Marler, 2. Jamie George, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Ollie Chessum, 6. Courtney Lawes (C), 7. Ben Earl, 8. Lewis Ludlam.

Replacements

16. Theo Dan 17. Ellis Genge , 18. Will Stuart , 19. George Martin , 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Marcus Smith, 23. Ollie Lawrence.

Japan

15. Semisi Masirewa, 14. Kotaro Matsushima, 13. Tomoki Osada, 12. Ryoto Nakamura, 11. Jone Naikabula, 10. Rikiya Matsuda, 9. Yutaka Nagare, 1. Keita Inagaki, 2. Shota Horie, 3. Jiwon Gu, 4. Jack Cornelsen, 5. Amato Fakatava, 6. Michael Leitch, 7. Pieter Labuschagne, 8. Kazuki Himeno (C).

Replacements

16. Atsushi Sakate, 17. Craig Millar, 18. Asaeli Ai Valu, 19. Warner Dearns, 20. Kanji Shimokawa, 21. Naoto Saito, 22. Dylan Riley, 23. Lomano Lemeki.