"Should the try have stood?" – 5 Things You Missed: England 59-14 Japan: Autumn Nations Series

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After a disappointing Autumn of defeats to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, England fans erupted into full-time cheers after an impressive win against Japan. England cruised to a victory over Eddie Jones’ side, to end their five-match losing streak that dated back to their Summer trip to Tokyo. England powered over for nine tries against the Brave Blossoms, who never kicked into second gear in the 59-14 landslide.

There was plenty of on field talking points that slipped under the radars, with the match officials among those that missed some key calls in the action. There were also some significant appearances and milestones achieved for two of the younger England players, as Tom Roebuck and Asher Opoku-Fordjour starred upon their involvements.

England will now look to take this winning momentum forward into the new year, as Steve Borthwick’s side get set to give it there all in the 2025 Guinness Six Nations. Here are five things that you might have missed, in England’s Autumn Series win over Japan.

5 THINGS YOU MISSED: ENGLAND 59 – 14 JAPAN

1) Sam Underhill’s try could have been disallowed and Chandler Cunningham-South’s invisible introduction

After three weeks of coming so close, yet so far against their Autumn opponents, it was England that were given the benefit of the doubt in their win against Japan. There was a significant missed call from the match officials as England powered over for their second try of the match, as Sam Underhill knocked the ball on as he surged over the try-line.

You could see the Bath man was unsure as to whether he had full control on the ball, as he grimaced at the grounding. However, this soon turned into a pained expression, as the Bath man was then immediately withdrawn from the action, as he sustained an injury in the action over the try-line. Chandler Cunningham-South took his place with no interference from the TMO. Japan fans and the neutrals would have been frustrated from that decision.

Cunningham-South received no fanfare following his introduction, as the Harlequin entered the fray without the official announcement from the Allianz Stadium speakers. The recognition of the Harlequin’s arrival was confirmed some five minutes later, well after the dread-locked juggernaut had already left his mark on some early carries.

2. Asher Opoku-Fordjour impresses his Sale teammate on Test match debut

England welcomed Asher Opoku-Fordjour to the Test match ranks this evening, as Steve Borthwick continues to usher in the new generation of players. Opoku-Fordjour becomes the ninth new cap in the past 12 matches, with the highly rated Sale Sharks man making good on his initial England opportunity. Opoku-Fordjour arrived to a resounding ovation at the 55th minute mark, and took over for a solid scrummaging effort after Will Stuart’s departure.

After the match, England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was full of praise for his Sale Sharks teammate. “I’ve been with him all year. You know, me and him at Sale, and he’s such a young guy. He’s not the biggest either but he’s a phenomenal scrummager, and I could definitely see loads more caps coming his way.”

“It’s always good having someone that you scrum with week to week and now in the international fold. So I feel like it will be nice working on things at Sale. I’m excited to get back, and then when we come back in here, it’s a straight swapping, I feel like, because we scrum together on the weekly it’s nice.”

3. Tom Roebuck delighted as he scores his first senior try for England

Another Sale Shark man stepped up for a momentous milestone, as Tom Roebuck scored his first Test match try in England senior colours. The back three flyer exploded off the bench, as he replaced Tommy Freeman, and crossed over for a stunning try before too long. Roebuck made a nice breakaway along the right wing, and fended off the tackle attempt of the first Japanese hopeful.

Roebuck then stretched his legs and cantered down-field to wrap up the try, before the Sharks man was swarmed by his England teammates, who all recognized the gravity of the occasion. Whilst the match was over as a contest well before Roebuck scored England’s ninth try, the Sale wing will not be forgetting his try any time soon, as he made his way onto the Allianz Stadium scoreboard for the first time in his Test match career.

4. ‘Good Access’ – Referee continues crack down on the ‘escort’ high ball scrutiny

Whilst there were some imperfections in the officiating as Underhill’s try was awarded, there is no denying that referee Craig Evans had done his homework regarding the ‘escort’ law. The crack down on blocking the high ball chasers continued this afternoon, with Evans sounding like a broken record to those in the Allianz Stadium who had picked up the ref mics. The Welshman would repeat the phrase “good access” each time Jack van Poortvleit sent the ball to the sky, as the Leicester Tigers halfback had a better day off the box kick than he did against the charge down enthusiasts of South Africa.

Japan head coach Eddie Jones recognised this tactic as one of England’s strengths, and said the following to the post-match media: “We wanted to kick between the two lines. Yeah. We didn’t want to get in a box kick contest with England, because they just squeeze us. So we, we wanted to try to kick between the two lines, which is a very skillful kick and and, you know, we didn’t execute as well as we would have liked, but the idea was right.”

5. Eddie Jones impressed by Chandler Cunningham-South despite not knowing the back row’s name

There were plenty of interesting talking points coming out of the long awaited Eddie Jones press conference, with the Japan head coach dropping zingers at the expense of his long battled English media. However, amongst the jabs and spars regarding Danny Care’s book, Eddie Jones cast his thoughts on a fellow Harlequin, as Chandler Cunningham-South impressed the former England head coach.

Jones liked what he saw in the back row battering ram, despite not knowing the name of England’s replacement loose forward. Jones said; “It’s one of those difficult periods for teams obviously going through transition. You know, you’ve got some young guys coming through, some good young players there. Chandler, what’s his name? The number six. Cunningham, I always call him Chandler. (Jones is told his full name) Chandler Cunningham? So, he looked like a prospect.

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