England name much-changed side for Japan Nations Championship match

England will face Japan in a Nations Championship match at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday 14 November, with kick-off at 16:40 GMT.

Team news

Henry Pollock will make only his second start for England, named at number eight in a much-changed side. Pollock has scored eight tries in 14 Tests, including a double as a stand-in wing against Australia on Sunday. The 21-year-old's only previous start came in February's 42-21 home defeat by Ireland.

Will Joseph starts on the wing in the absence of injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. His only previous England cap came under now-Japan coach Eddie Jones in 2022. Max Ojomoh comes in at inside centre, earning promotion after a stellar performance in England A's win over an Argentina XV last Friday. Ojomoh has not played for England since starring in the win over Argentina a year ago.

George Ford is named at fly-half, with Fin Smith rotated out of the matchday squad and Marcus Smith on the bench. Cadan Murley comes into the back three with Tommy Freeman left out. The starting front row is Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Asher Opoku-Fordjour.

Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland is poised to make his debut off the bench. Greg Fisilau, Arthur Clark and Emmanuel Iyogun, who all have one cap, are also among the replacements.

Only centre Henry Slade, scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and captain Maro Itoje have retained their starting spot in the same position from the win over Australia.

England starting XV: Freddie Steward; Will Joseph, Henry Slade, Max Ojomoh, Cadan Murley; George Ford, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Alex Coles, Ben Earl, Henry Pollock.

Replacements: Theo Dan, Emmanuel Iyogun, Joe Heyes, Arthur Clark, Ben Curry, Greg Fisilau, Archie McParland, Marcus Smith.

Japan team

Japan hand Riku Tokito a debut on the wing in the absence of the injured Inoke Burua. Warner Dearns, who had been a fitness doubt, co-captains alongside scrum-half Naoto Saito.

Japan starting XV: Yota Kamimori, Mamoru Harada, Shuhei Takeuchi; Harry Hockings, Warner Dearns (co-capt.); Ben Gunter, Kanji Shimokawa, Jack Cornelsen; Naoto Saito (co-capt.), Riku Kitahara; Riku Tokito, Samisoni Tua, Dylan Riley, Kippei Ishida; Kazuma Ueda.

Replacements: Kenji Sato, Sojiro Otsuka, Opeti Helu, Michael Stolberg, Tiennan Costley; Shinobu Fujiwara, Shinya Komura, Jisu Lee.

How to watch

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage following the conclusion of Wales against New Zealand from 4.30pm GMT. A live stream will be available via ITVX. The match will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website and app.

Why it matters

England have won all six previous Tests against Japan, most recently running out 52-17 winners in Tokyo in June 2024. The rejig gives players a chance to make their case a year out from the Rugby World Cup in Australia. Japan head coach Eddie Jones, England's predecessor, has warned England to "expect the unorthodox" ahead of the reunion.

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Sources

• bbc.com: England v Japan: Henry Pollock, Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph start - BBC Sport
• independent.co.uk: Is England v Japan on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Nations Championship clash | The Independent
• skysports.com: Wales vs New Zealand, England vs Japan LIVE! Nations Championship updates, latest scores, team news, commentary from Cardiff, Twickenham | Rugby Union News | Sky Sports

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.