- England beat Japan 52-17 in the first match of their summer tour in Tokyo.
- Next up is a trip to New Zealand for two Tests against the mighty All Blacks.
- England need Bath center Ollie Lawrence as more than just a ball carrier.
Work has been completed for Britain in Japan. Now the real challenge awaits. Steve Borthwick’s side will travel to New Zealand this week for two crunch Tests against the All Blacks after an impressive win in Tokyo.
Although not perfect, their performance only served to confirm my belief that this is a good team with good players. The win was the perfect platform to take to New Zealand, where things would be much more difficult.
England was too good for Japan. Eddie Jones is starting again with Brave Blossoms, but despite many intentions, he has seemed to be greatly off the pace. Jones has his work cut out for him.
The late sending off of substitute Charlie Ewels and the yellow received by Marcus Smith were not ideal. His clearance on Michael Leitch was dangerous. Ewels isn’t a bad player, but he was sent off in the last two England Tests and it’s doubtful we’ll see him in New Zealand now.
The opening 10 minutes were worrying. There were four penalties, Chandler Cunningham-South had a kickoff canceled and Henry Slade missed a touch.
Marcus Smith was one of eight scorers in England’s 52-17 win over Japan in Tokyo.
But to their credit, England followed suit. I thought Smith played very well in the number 10 spot and his partnership with Alex Mitchell should continue in New Zealand. It’s a really good combination.
Smith has always looked very good when his team is going forward, and that happened in Tokyo as well. However, against the All Blacks, England will not be quite as dominant and this will provide more of a challenge for Smith.
I was very impressed with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from the wing. I think he is special. He scored another try off a nice Smith pass, but there was something about his game that made him stand out in everything he did. He should also start against New Zealand. I’d like to see more of Ollie Lawrence. England need to use their Bath center as more than just a ball carrier. Because he is better than that.
Lawrence is big and powerful, but that doesn’t mean England have to deploy him as someone to slam the ball against Japan. Modern international rugby requires more than power.
New Zealand’s great centre, Ma’a Nonu, started out as a bumper but has developed his game nicely. Lawrence could be a similar player for England, but he needs to be utilized correctly.
Ollie Lawrence is big and powerful, but there’s more to his game than being a basher.
England’s attack worked well at times. I liked Ben Earl’s tip-on pass in the opener for Cunningham-South, and I also enjoyed his quick penalty kick in the second half. Please keep Ben happy!
There has been much debate about England’s fly-half spot. But I think Smith deserves to keep the shirt for the rest of the tour.
He was replaced by Fin Smith after a yellow for the initial tackle had lapsed. But Fin didn’t help his cause with an immediate failed tackle that led to Japan’s try.
England conceded 15 penalties in Tokyo and if they do that against the All Blacks they will be in very big trouble. But overall, England can be satisfied with their summer opener.
Borthwick’s team is impressive and in control and will arrive in New Zealand confident of future success. We are looking forward to the start of the All Blacks series.
