"Fin Smith Finally Involved" – Prediction: Steve Borthwick's England team to play Japan – Autumn Nations Series
Yesterday at 07:08 AM
England are set to wrap up their Autumn Nations Series this Sunday, as they host Japan at the Allianz Stadium. Steve Borthwick’s side continue to search for their first win of the series, after a trio of consecutive defeats to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa has made this campaign one to forget for England fans.
Adding an extra spark to the fixture is the return of Eddie Jones to Twickenham, as the former England head coach takes charge of Japan. One could only imagine how delighted Jones would be, if he was able to orchestrate the Brave Blossom’s first ever win over England, in what has been a turbulent time of gut-wrenching defeats for Borthwick’s side.
Whilst Japan are considered to be the ‘easiest’ opponent of England’s intense November schedule, you can never rule out the Brave Blossoms for an upset victory. The side that is listed as 14th in World Rugby rankings has recorded some famous underdog wins in recent memory, from the 2015 Rugby World Cup ‘Miracle of Brighton’ triumph over South Africa, to the 2019 shock upset win over Ireland on their home soil World Cup.
Japan could well prove to be the proverbial ‘banana skin’ this Sunday, and Steve Borthwick must ensure he selects the strongest side to get back to winning ways in South West London. Here is our predictions for Borthwick’s England team, to play Japan in the fourth round of the Autumn Nations Series.
We’ve predicted an ‘all Saints’ back three to line up against Eddie Jones side, with the return of George Furbank in the 15 shirt. The regular starting England fullback was unused in last weekend’s defeat to the Springboks, as Freddie Steward returned for his first taste of Autumn Nations action. It was a topsy-turvy game for the Leicester Tigers man, who missed key tackles on Grant Williams and Cheslin Kolbe, as they cantered in to score first half tries.
Steward found his form in the second half, and impressed under the high ball after the pre-match analysis was dominated by the crackdown on ‘escort’ blockers. Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme retain their places in the starting XV, after two impressive showings against South Africa from the Northampton outside backs. Sleightholme gets the nod to go again after his first England start. We’ve also named Freddie Steward on the replacements bench, with no space for Tom Roebuck this week.
Steve Borthwick has reiterated time and again, that consistency is key for a team to build cohesion. We predict the midfield duo of Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence will once again lead from the 12 and 13 channels, having done so for the previous three Tests of the Autumn. The main competitor for either of these spots is Fraser Dingwall, and the Northampton Saints man was impressive this past weekend as he captained England A to victory over Australia A.
We predict to see Marcus Smith continue to lead England out in the 10 shirt, as the Harlequin has cemented his name to the starting spot this past Autumn Series. Smith has kept both George Ford and Fin Smith at bay with three consecutive Test starts, and we expect to see the talismanic magician light up the Allianz, and lead the charge in what should be an enjoyable day for England fans.
We’ve changed up the regular replacement routine, with Fin Smith selected for his first cap of the campaign. The Saints fly half has been under-utilised in the eyes of many an England fan, with the battle with the Brave Blossoms presenting an opportune time for Fin Smith to gain some valuable game time at fly half for England. There is also no need to bring Marcus off, with the Harlequin proving his versatility as a make-shift fullback, at the expense of George Furbank’s departure against Australia.
Set to supply the ammunition to Smith is a returning Ben Spencer, with a comeback on the cards for the Bath man after playing no part in the defeat to South Africa. The scrum half ranks were occupied by Jack van Poortvliet and Harry Randall against Rassie Erasmus’ side, with this week’s predicted partnership being Spencer and van Poortvliet, as Randall rotates out to miss his first week of the campaign.
We predict one change in the front row, with Dan Cole given the nod for his first start of the Autumn. The number three shirt has so far been taken up by Will Stuart, yet the Bath man had an underwhelming outing by his standards this past weekend. Stuart gave away an assortment of penalties against the Springboks, in what was a difficult day at the office for the tight-head. We predict Ellis Genge to retain his spot in the starting XV, with Fin Baxter on the bench in support of the Baby Rhino.
Jamie George remains to be the first name on the England team sheet as the nation’s captain, but this week we can see his Saracens understudy set to replace him off the bench. After sitting out on the two Tests against Australia and South Africa, we predict Theo Dan will re-claim the number 16 shirt, with Luke Cowan-Dickie rotating out of the match day 23.
The most concrete plans in Steve Borthwick’s England squad, we can see no alteration from the Itoje-Martin partnership in England’s engine room. The Saracens and Leicester locks have established a solid partnership, that has gone unchanged in the starting XV since the 2024 Six Nations win against Ireland. Itoje and Martin cleaned house against Japan over the Summer, with the two titanic forwards dominating the set-piece and breakdown work in the impressive 52-17 hammering of Eddie Jones’ side. England fans will be hoping for more of the same this weekend.
Now, an asterisk remains next to Sam Underhill, as we expect the Bath man to start if Tom Curry is not given the green light to play. Curry suffered a severe head injury in the second round defeat to Australia, after colliding with the knees of Rob Valentini. The Sale man was knocked unconscious from the collision, with Underhill called in to start against South Africa, as Curry continued his Return to Play protocol.
Underhill starred in the latest England outing, and was one of the best players on the pitch in the defeat against the Springboks. Should Curry be considered ready for action, we can see Underhill dropping to the bench, and pushing Ted Hill out of the match day 23. Chandler Cunningham-South and Ben Earl are both sure-fire starters against Japan, with the two back-row battlers enjoying some brilliant individual performances amongst a difficult Autumn campaign.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Theo Dan (Saracens)
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
19. Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
20. Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)*
21. Jack van Poortvleit (Leicester Tigers)
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
23. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
*Sam Underhill to start and Ted Hill as the replacement loose forward, if Tom Curry is not fit to play.
