England will be looking for an improved attacking display when they welcome World Cup hosts Japan to Twickenham on Saturday the 17th of November.
The home of rugby plays hosts to a very odd looking Test match this coming Saturday with Japan taking to the hallowed ground a fortnight after South Africa and a week after New Zealand. The Japanese are a side on the rise, however, and the English will do well not to underestimate their opponents.
England v Japan
Saturday 17 November
Twickenham
17:00
To Win (80 Mins)
England 100/1
Draw 40/1
Japan 25/2
Handicap
England (-31) 9/10
Japan (+31) 9/10
*Forecast handicaps
England
So from taking on the best in the business, the English now collide with rising minnows Japan. The hosts have given a solid account of themselves over the past fortnight beating South Africa 12-11 and narrowly going down to New Zealand by 15 points to 16.
The English have been smiled upon by lady luck as well as frowned upon by her with the controversial Owen Farrell tackle on Andre Estehuizen not being punished and an offside decision going against their reserve lock Courtney Lawes against New Zealand last week.
England have taken a rather conservative approach to their last two Tests but we should see a more enterprising brand of rugby being adopted by the Roses here. They could also make a few changes to their starting XV with overworked fly-half Owen Farrell likely to be replaced with former incumbent George Ford.
Japan
It’s been a good year for Japanese Rugby with the Brave Blossoms managing to draw their June series with the Italians 1-1. They have also been exposed to a higher level of rugby than they are used to as they got to take on a strong if not full strength New Zealand side at the start of the month. While that game ended in a heavy defeat for the Japanese – they went down 31-69 – it did show they are capable of playing an exciting brand of rugby as they racked up an impressive 31 points.
Much like their Test against New Zealand, Saturday’s fixture is all about exposure for the Japanese who are looking to put the final pieces in place for their home World Cup campaign. We can expect the visitors to look to avoid over-committing to the ruck and instead try and move the ball around the park as much as possible in a bid to limit the number of breakdowns.
Verdict: England (-31) 9/10 *Forecast handicaps
I think we may see the English finally come out of their shells here. They’ll be rather confident having registered a win over South Africa and given the All Blacks a real scare.
