sport

Jones says the sky could come in on England at Twickenham

Japan have lost all six of their previous Test meetings with England.

japan, twickenham, jones, radio, live, fall, players, coach

Key facts

  • Japan have lost all six of their previous Test meetings with England. Their most recent defeat was 54-19 on an autumn visit two years ago.
  • He also cautioned against reading too much into one moment from a 21-year-old back-rower."He's a fast back rower, he got the ball in space and he's a…
  • Borthwick's England players, who had insisted the squad remained united, then won 45-22, a result that vindicated their coach.

Japan have lost all six of their previous Test meetings with England. Their most recent defeat was 54-19 on an autumn visit two years ago.

Jones said Japan would arrive at Twickenham as massive underdogs and that pressure on England could change the contest.

"We're massive underdogs,"Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. He said that if the sky starts to come in on Twickenham,"you never know what can happen.".

Jones said England's players are uniquely open to pressure because they face a level of scrutiny he called unprecedented in the rest of the global game. He said they face more media scrutiny than players from any other country and that"the noise does get to the team,"the BBC reported.

He also cautioned against reading too much into one moment from a 21-year-old back-rower."He's a fast back rower, he got the ball in space and he's a talented player, there's no doubt about it, but you couldn't read into it any more than that,"Jones said.

"That's the uniqueness of Japanese rugby,"he added. Jones said the player's sky-high strike-rate was not the best measure of him as a player.

Borthwick's England players, who had insisted the squad remained united, then won 45-22, a result that vindicated their coach.

Dig deeper

Who is Jones?

Eddie Jones is the Australian coach of Japan’s national rugby team and a former England head coach, so he knows both sides of this Twickenham meeting.

Who is Borthwick?

Steve Borthwick is England’s head coach, the man whose squad the piece says stayed united and then beat Japan 45-22.

What is Twickenham?

Twickenham is England’s national rugby union stadium in south-west London, the home ground where this Test was played.

What is a Test in rugby?

A Test is a full international match between national teams, the level at which Japan had lost all six previous meetings with England.

Why does the underdog talk matter?

Jones’s point is that heavy scrutiny on England can turn a one-sided fixture if the home side starts to unravel, even against a side with a poor record against them.

Lire en français