England faced the mighty Japan; a team rugby fans know very little about despite their ability and impressive results in recent years. Twickenham was once again filled to the rafters for the second fixture of the Autumn Nations Series and all in attendance paid their respects ahead of Remembrance Sunday. The stadium erupted as the whistle sounded and play commenced, setting the tone for the game with a lively atmosphere and high intensity rugby giving fans a day to remember!
With an excellent display of running rugby England showed their critics what they are capable of with an impressive 52-13 victory following a disappointing result against Argentina. Eddie Jones will have looked forward to reading more positive articles after orchestrating an impressive display of rugby against a side he knows very well.
Tries came in by the bucket load, with a total of seven tries in all! Guy Porter was called into the team and scored two tries in his debut Autumn Nations Series game. The centre put in an impressive performance and was certainly in the right place at the right time including when he chased down the kick by Owen Farrell which came perfectly off his left foot to be finished in the corner by Porter. Marcus Smith scored two tries both of which saw him cross the line in style with skilful finishes by the No.10 such as his first try where he impressively got the ball down leaping towards the try line and holding off the Japanese defence as he was tackled.
Physicality was certainly at the forefront of England’s game plan, and it showed. With an impressive ruck turnover by Maro Itoje and an aggressive try by Ellis Genge charging through the Japanese defence. With these just a handful of examples where England’s dominant physicality was in full display. Freddie Steward received Man of the Match for his impressive ball carrying and ability to find the smallest of gaps as seen in his break which saw Marcus Smith take the ball over the line and was instrumental in the victory over Japan.
Freddie Steward received the Man of the Match for his impressive ball carrying and ability to find the smallest of gaps as seen in his break which saw Marcus Smith take the ball over the line.
England will want to build on this impressive performance as they take on the mighty New Zealand and reigning Rugby World Cup Champions South Africa over the next two weekends. What a test it will be for them at Twickenham Stadium.
We caught up with Keith Prowse’s Head of Twickenham Sales, Ozzie Wolf on how he thought the day went:
“The hospitality experience at Twickenham Stadium for England v Japan was exceptional. We had an impressive selection of current and former players in our facility mingling with guests including ex-England international George Kruis. It was a real treat hearing him talk to guests in The Lock about his experience playing in Japan. The Japanese inspired menu throughout the facilities such as the post-match bao buns was a great touch to cap off an enjoyable afternoon. The British Airways Rose Garden is always the place to be post-match with live music, tasty food, and an upbeat atmosphere… particularly after an impressive England victory!”
With extremely limited availability for England’s fixtures against New Zealand and South Africa in the closing fixtures of the series secure your place today HERE