Japan players bowing towards their fans after their loss in the international rugby union match against England. TOKYO – Eddie Jones experienced a chastening start to his second stint in charge of Japan’s rugby team on June 22, after handing starts to four debutants including university student Yoshitaka Yazaki at full-back. The result was a 52-17 thrashing by England in Tokyo, as Marcus Smith gave an all-action first-half performance that led to the win and a boost ahead of two Tests against the All Blacks.
The Brave Blossoms salvaged a measure of pride with late tries from winger Koga Nezuka and Takuya Yamasawa. “It was a pretty tough game for us today,” said Jones, who took England to the 2019 World Cup final and was appointed Japan coach in December. “England are a strong, powerful team, but I was really pleased with our set-piece work, which kept us in the game for a long period of time.
“We’ve been working on little things in our attack which created opportunities, but we weren’t able to finish them. But for those new players to play in front of a fantastic crowd, it shows really strong potential for Japanese rugby.” Jones was previously Japan coach from 2012 to 2015, before he took charge of England.
His 23-man squad averaged just 11 caps each, while Jamie George and Dan Cole in England’s front row alone have more than 200 caps collectively. Preferred at fly-half to Fin Smith, England’s Smith scored a try and set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry .
