RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 35 – 15 JAPAN

RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 35 – 15 JAPAN

               Date: 17th November 2018

               Location: Twickenham Stadium, London, England

               Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

               Attendance: 81,000

It was anything but plain sailing for England as Japan ran them far closer than the twenty point victory lets on. The visitors led 15-10 at half-time, an advantage they thoroughly deserved as England failed to get any rhythm going in either attack or defence. The reaction did eventually come and with twenty minutes left to go the hosts finally took control once and for all to help avoid what would have been nothing short of a disaster.

15 – Elliot Daly (Wasps) – 6

Continues to look shaky under the high ball and was skinned alive by Leitch for Japan's second try. Did a better job going forward, counter attacked well and played a role in Care's early score. Also kicked another long range penalty to keep England in touch.

14 – Chris Ashton (Sale Sharks) - 5

Was only on the field for half an hour before he went off with a calf injury. Second best to Kenki Fukuoka who caused him all sorts of problems defensively. Had very little of the ball in a half Japan dominated.

13 – Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) – 6

Chris Ashton's injury meant he found himself back at his usual position on the wing sooner than expected. Made some good runs off the initial receivers and was England's top performer in the clean breaks and defenders beaten columns.

12 – Alex Lozowski (Saracens) – 4

Will know he's missed a great opportunity to stake a claim for this shirt come next autumn. Was beaten all too easily by Ryoto Nakamura for a Japanese score and was pinged at the breakdown. Did make a good covering tackle on Michael Lietch that potentially saved another try though. Pulled off at half-time as England reacted. 

It wasn't a day to remember for Lozowski (Photo: Getty)

11 – Joe Cokanasiga (Bath) - 8

Looked one of the more experienced players out there despite it being his international debut. Showcased a variety of attributes in a performance that was full of intensity, awareness and strength. Calmly found Jamie George early on which led to Danny Care's score and when the time for his moment came he took it well to score 

10 – George Ford (Leicester Tigers) – 6

Couldn't get his side moving in a lacklustre first period and although things did click more in the second half its hard not to think Japan's fitness was a factor. Did kick very well though and put together a great few minutes to first put Mark Wilson over and then to win a penalty. 

9 – Danny Care (Harlequins) - 5

Got off to a great start as he crossed the whitewash for the game's opening score. This was to be his highlight though; had a speculative miss-pass intercepted and was guilty of a costly missed tackle. Did try to inject some speed to England's game. 

1 – Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs) - 4

No obvious dominance at the scrum, an area going into the day England would have eyed as an area to assert power. All too quiet as a carrier as well, everything is expected of international props nowadays. Subbed not long into the second half.

2 – Jamie George (Saracens) - 6 

Yellow carded for diving into a ruck, an infringement that saw the visitors score two tries in his absence. Redeemed himself with some lovely hands and support play when on the attack, had a say in both Danny Care and Joe Cokanasiga's scores. Also pulled off a much needed tackle on Japan's fly-half Yu Tamura. Flashes of both brilliance and immaturity.

3 – Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs) - 5 

Took him awhile to get the scrum game going but did manage to force a penalty out of his opposite number. Didn't bring the presence in open play that Sinckler does, unlikely to win his shirt off him on this performance unfortunately. 

4 – Charlie Ewels (Bath) - 6

Stole Japanese ball at the lineout and played receiver successfully on the occasions when he was required over Maro Itoje. Big, reliable presence in defence when others around him in black struggled. Conceded a few turnovers though and could have done more in attack.

5 – Maro Itoje (Saracens) - 7 

Ran the show at the lineout and had plenty of success at breaking the gain-line. Went on rampaging run in which he beat three defenders before finally being hauled down. Topped his well-rounded performance off with some tireless defensive work both at the breakdown and in the loose. 

6 – Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) - 6 

Guilty of periods where he faded into the background. When he was involved he put in a solid shift, playing effective roles on both sides of the ball. Won a penalty for his side as Japan pressured late on to help whitewash the Cherry Blossoms in the second half.

7 – Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) - 6 

Slow start to the day as he was penalised twice inside the first quarter. Lesser men would have shied away from the battle zone after falling foul to the ref so early but the Newcastle man went on to lead England's tackle count. His performances over the last few weeks deserved the try he got which put the nail in the Japanese coffin.

8 – Zach Mercer (Bath) - 5

Struggled to really assert his game on the visitors and he was relatively ineffective around the fringes. Subbed off for Sam Underhill and also withdrawn for Dylan Hartley when Jamie George was yellow carded. The latter likely disrupted his flow. 

SUBS:

Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) - 6

Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs) - 7 
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins) - 7
Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors) - N/A
Sam Underhill (Bath) - 6
Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens) - 6
Owen Farrell (Saracens) - 7
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) - 6 

Henry Justice