Eddie Jones vows Japan will ‘play the house down’ against England

LONDON – Eddie Jones returns to Twickenham on Nov 14 promising his youthful Japan side will “play the house down” as they go in search of a huge upset against England, the team he led to a World Cup final.

Japan, who suffered a narrow 28-21 defeat by Wales in their November Nations Championship opener in Cardiff last week, have lost all their six previous Tests against England.

But veteran Australian coach Jones oversaw one of rugby union’s greatest upsets in his first spell with Japan when the ball-playing Brave Blossoms beat South Africa at the 2015 World Cup in England and he is now plotting another shock success.

“We realise England are a nation we’ve never been able to beat,” said Jones, who took charge of England after that tournament and led them until 2022.

“I’m looking forward to going to Twickenham with this young Japanese team that’s going to play the house down,” added Jones, the coach of his native Australia when the Wallabies lost the 2003 World Cup final to England in Sydney.

The 66-year-old remains England’s most successful coach in terms of win rate – 72% – and won two Six Nations titles with the Red Rose brigade, including a 2016 Grand Slam, as well as taking them to a 2019 World Cup final they lost to the Springboks.

But results tailed off towards the end of his reign, as did his relationship with his employers at the Rugby Football Union, and Jones was replaced by current England boss Steve Borthwick.

“I had seven good years there (England),” Jones said. “If you look at the stats, they stand the test of time. So there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be pleased to go back to Twickenham.”

‘Balance’

The Nov 14 match marks Borthwick’s 50th Test as England coach and he kicks off with a win rate of a mere 59%.

Borthwick, who served as Jones’s deputy with both Japan and England, was under severe scrutiny heading into November following a run of five defeats in seven Tests.

But having been already backed to the hilt by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, his players gave Borthwick a boost with a resounding 45-22 win over Australia at Twickenham last weekend.

Borthwick has now made a mammoth 10 personnel changes to his starting XV, with Henry Pollock – fresh from two tries against the Wallabies after replacing injured wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at half-time – starting in his more familiar position of No 8.

The vastly experienced George Ford returns at fly-half, while recalled inside centre Max Ojomoh is among those competing for one of the few remaining places in England’s squad for the 2027 World Cup, with Borthwick saying he already knew the majority of his party for Australia 2027.

But the former England captain stressed he would be most impressed by players who put the team first on Nov 14.

“I’m really aware that the narrative around World Cup selection exists and we don’t avoid it,” said Borthwick.

“The team is always the most important thing but, at the same time, it’s the balance between the team, self-sacrifice and self-expression.”

Ojomoh’s most recent England appearance yielded a Man-of-the-Match performance against Argentina in November 2025 but the creative Bath midfielder has been overlooked by Borthwick ever since.

Borthwick, however, insisted he was not hostile to individual flair.

“There are always moments where players go and express themselves,” he said.

“But those moments will come more often when we’re playing a really cohesive team performance.

“The way the team performed against Australia, it was very much a team performance.” AFP