England Player Ratings v Japan

England Player Ratings v Japan

Eddie Jones' England ran in seven tries to defeat Japan 52-13 at Twickenham on Saturday with Owen Farrell slotting six conversions and penalty in the compressive victory.

Here is how we rated the England players in the win. 

15. Freddie Steward - 8

Steward was his usual solid self under the high ball and made the most of a swift attacking move to score England's opening try. He continued to dominate the air and did well with a few kicks and chases, winning one of his own kicks, which resulted in a try. Another kick ahead resulted in Smith's second try. 

14. Joe Cokanasiga - 6.5

 

Cokanasiga had few opportunities to shine in possession but did make the most of one with an excellent offload leading to Marcus Smith's try. He was called into start following Nowell's injury and didn't disappoint, but at the same time, he didn't take his chance with both hands. 


13. Guy Porter - 8

Two tries for Guy Porter, who pounced on his opportunity in the starting lineup. He ran sharp attacking lines all game, defended well and was perfectly placed to take both of his chances. 

12. Owen Farrell - 8.5

The England captain looked to be playing some of his best rugby again. He linked up well with Smith for Steward's try, brilliantly won a turnover for Porter's first try and a delightful kick assisted Porter's third. Perfect from the tee too. 


11. Jonny May - 6

Yellow carded early in the first half, but his actions saved England at least two points, with Japan going to the posts afterwards. He chased kicks relentlessly through the game, and overall, he made good decisions when the ball did come his way. 

10. Marcus Smith - 7

Smith combined wonderfully with Owen Farrell as the pair picked the Japanese defence apart with a ton of variation. The flyhalf benefitted from his support lines, grabbing two tries. The first was from an excellent offload from Cokanasiga, and the second was when he chased a kick ahead from Slade after a pinpoint crosskick to Steward.

9. Jack van Poortvliet - 8

Accurate, swift service from the scrumhalf who played a part in most of England's tries. He kicked well out of hand and made yet another strong claim to retain his starting role in the next two weeks. 

1. Ellis Genge - 8

It was a clear tactic for Genge to shoot up on defence to stifle the Japanese attack, and he did it superbly. He dominated the scrums and carried strongly, scoring a second-half try. 

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 6

His lineout darts were sharp enough while he added some grunt with the ball in hand. A pair of missed tackles but nothing that hurt England too much. His restart take was brilliant. 

3. Kyle Sinckler - 7

Sinckler played his part in the dominant England scrum in the first half. He was busy defensively and had some nice touches with the ball in hand. 

4. David Ribbans - 6

A solid test debut for David Ribbans, who did the basics of a test second rower making his tackles, carried well and was a good option at lineout time.

5. Jonny Hill - 7

A dynamic performance from Jonny Hill, who got stuck into plenty of battles at the breakdown. He kept the ball alive from a turnover that resulted in Porter's second try. 

6. Maro Itoje - 7.5

A busy breakdown game for Itoje as he was tasked with nullifying the impact the likes of Leitch, Himeno, and Labuschagne had on the game and had some success. He was seldomly used as a ball carrier but was a willing tackler. He made a massive turnover that led to Porter's second try.

7. Tom Curry - 6.5

A big tackle count from the openside flanker, but Curry was quiet on attack. A tidy shift from Curry without being a standout. 

8. Sam Simmonds - 8

An excellent performance from Simmonds, who offered himself as a willing carrier. He made regular metres through the Japanese defence and was sound defensively. He also assisted a try from an offload after leaving it a bit late to give the pass to Porter for his first test try. 

Replacements: 

16. Jamie George - 6.5

George kept the tempo up that Cowan-Dickie set. Good lineout darts and a big work rate on defence.

17. Mako Vunipola -5.5

Like Heyes, he had a hiccup or two at the scrum but was otherwise solid. 

18. Joe Heyes - 5

A few wobbles at scrum time, but Heyes was busy around the park. 

19. Alex Coles - 6.5

Coles put in a significant defensive shift after coming off the bench, making 11 tackles in 27 minutes. 

20. Billy Vunipola - 6

He made a few early errors, but he grew into the game. 

21. Ben Youngs - 6

Youngs picked up from where van Poortvliet left off. He kept England's attack ticking over and gaining ground. 

22. Henry Slade - 7

Added some zip and energy in the game's latter stages—a real impact. 

23. Manu Tuilagi - 6

No opportunities on attack, but he made his tackles and won a turnover.

Latest News