LONDON (The Thursday Times) — Will Joseph scored five tries to equal England’s record for a single Test as they beat Japan 78-15 in the Nations Championship at Twickenham on Saturday.
England ran in 13 tries against Eddie Jones’s side, comfortably their highest score against Japan. They led 32-3 inside 20 minutes and 49-10 at half-time, after Japan lost lock Harry Hockings to a 20-minute red card in the opening minute.
Joseph, the younger brother of the former England centre Jonathan Joseph, scored in the first minute and had a hat-trick before the 20-minute mark. His fifth came from an interception on halfway, a 50-metre run while hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was in the sin-bin.
Only four England players had scored five tries in a Test before him: Douglas Lambert in 1907, Rory Underwood in 1989, Josh Lewsey in 2003, and Henry Arundell in 2023.
Four years out
The Gloucester wing won his first cap as a late replacement on England’s tour of Australia four years ago, when Jones was in charge, and had not played a Test since. In that time his boyhood club London Irish went bust, he had a disappointing spell at Harlequins, and he lost the hearing in his left ear after an auto-immune reaction. Strong early-season form for Gloucester earned his recall.
Full-back Freddie Steward, prop Ellis Genge, wing Cadan Murley, flanker Ben Earl, and lock George Martin also scored, as did replacements Ben Curry, Marcus Smith, and Greg Fisilau. George Ford kicked four conversions and a penalty, and Henry Slade added a conversion.
Japan’s tries came from co-captain Warner Dearns and replacement Opeti Helu, with scrum-half Saito kicking a conversion and a penalty. A week earlier they had lost to Wales by a single score.
Centre Max Ojomoh caught the eye in midfield on his first appearance in a year, and Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland made his debut off the bench.
All Blacks next
England, captained by Maro Itoje, play New Zealand next Saturday in the final round of pool matches. The All Blacks arrive after losing 35-28 to Wales in Cardiff, their first defeat by the Welsh since 1953, a day after France beat South Africa 21-19 in Paris.
