Will Joseph scores five tries as England thrash Japan 78-15

Will Joseph scored five tries on his first England appearance since 2022 as Steve Borthwick’s side beat Japan 78-15 at Allianz Stadium in the Nations Championship.

The Gloucester back, starting on the right wing, equalled England’s record for tries in a Test. England ran in 13 tries in all, eight of them before half-time. Japan suffered an early setback when Harry Hockings was sin-binned, and his yellow card was later upgraded to a 20-minute red.

Will Joseph’s day at Twickenham

Joseph crossed almost immediately, finishing in the corner after a TMO check. He added his second try on 10 minutes, his third on 20, his fourth on 25 and his fifth on 56.

That puts him alongside Douglas Lambert, Rory Underwood, Josh Lewsey and Henry Arundell as the only men to score five tries in a Test for England, as Reuters reported. It was quite a return for a player whose previous England cap came in July 2022.

How England beat Japan

England were ruthless while Japan were short-handed. As well as Joseph’s tries, Freddie Steward scored on 15 minutes, Ellis Genge on 18, Cadan Murley on 29 and Ben Earl on 40. Japan’s Naoto Saito kicked an early penalty, and lock Warner Dearns crossed on 37 minutes, which left the score at 49-10 at half-time.

The second half followed the same pattern. George Martin, Joseph, Ben Curry, Marcus Smith and Greg Fisilau all scored for England, while Opeti Helu got Japan’s second try.

England were less clinical from the kicking tee. George Ford kicked three conversions and a penalty, and Henry Slade added two conversions, but eight conversions were missed, costing England 16 points. Luke Cowan-Dickie was also shown a yellow card.

Eddie Jones returns to Twickenham

The game marked Eddie Jones’s return to Twickenham as Japan head coach, and it was not a happy one. His side had no answer to England’s pace and power.

For Borthwick, it is a second big win in successive weekends. England beat Australia 45-22 at Twickenham last Sunday, after which Maro Itoje called Borthwick a world-class coach.

What comes next for England

The real test comes next week. England face New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on Saturday 21 November, with a 2.10pm kick-off. The All Blacks arrive after a 35-28 defeat by Wales in Cardiff, their first loss to Wales since 1953.

The Nations Championship finals weekend runs from 27 to 29 November, with the championship final at Twickenham on the Sunday. Our guide to the Nations Championship finals has the dates and ticket details. For more Tests, results and team news, visit our international rugby hub.