The underdog with a plan
Eddie Jones knows Twickenham. He knows what it sounds like when the patience runs out. And that, more or less, is his game plan for Saturday.
The Japan head coach told the BBC today that his side travel to London as “massive underdogs” for their Nations Championship Test against England, which kicks off at 4.40pm UK time. He is not pretending the Brave Blossoms can outmuscle Steve Borthwick’s pack for 80 minutes. His route to an upset is mess. Get in early, cause havoc, knock England off their rhythm and wait for the crowd to start booing.
His theory is that England may have one eye on the following weekend, when New Zealand come to Twickenham on November 21. Jones pointed to Italy beating England for the first time back in March as proof that the place can swallow its own team when things go sideways. He also talked about the sheer volume of English newspapers and broadcasters, and how that noise can sit heavily on players unless the leadership group keeps heads clear.
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Warm words for Borthwick, cold water on Pollock
None of this was a personal shot at Borthwick. Jones went out of his way to call him an outstanding and very intelligent coach, and said he has the highest respect for him.
Henry Pollock got a cooler review. The back-rower came out at half-time on the wing against Australia last Sunday and scored twice inside a few minutes. Jones was unmoved. In his view England were on the front foot, the game carried no pressure, and everybody was queuing up to run the ball. He called Pollock fast and talented, then said there was nothing more to read into it.
England’s mood has shifted
The timing of the barbs is no accident. England’s week began under a cloud after newspaper reports of a summer rift between Borthwick and his squad, claims Jamie George has denied. They answered with seven tries and a 45-22 win over the Wallabies, the biggest score England have ever posted against Australia in a Test.
That result followed a mixed July: a 45-21 defeat in South Africa, a 73-8 rout of Fiji and a 31-24 win in Argentina. Japan, meanwhile, arrive off a 28-21 loss to Wales in Cardiff.
Jones, 66, has history here. He ran England from 2016 to 2022 and was sacked a year out from the 2023 World Cup after a calendar year with only five wins. A brief second spell with Australia ended in the Wallabies’ first ever pool-stage exit at a World Cup, before he returned to Japan in 2024. Saturday is his chance to give Twickenham one more uncomfortable afternoon.
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