How was the mindset different this week? “Attitude. As I said before, probably not thinking as much. There’s not a whole lot of rugby you can do off a six-day turnaround … We allowed ourselves to get more of the best of ourselves.” However, with Owen Farrell available again from suspension next week ahead of the game against Chile and Tom Curry returning from his two-game ban for the final pool game against Samoa, England at least have another foothold to build on, particularly the momentum generated in the final quarter. There is also a return for Jonny May on the left wing in place of Cokanasiga. May's return comes just three weeks after England's second-highest men's try-scorer suffered a dislocated elbow playing for Gloucester against London Irish, with the wing making a remarkable recovery.

That's something not lost on Farrell, who said this week: "It’s finishing those chances off that was the work-on. Being a bit calmer after we do make the breaks and seeing where the opportunity is thereafter. It’s not like we didn’t create opportunities [against Argentina] in the conditions that we played in, but obviously we weren’t good enough to finish them off. The changes hopefully don’t make a difference to where we’re going with that. Hopefully they add to that, which is the key.” Sterner tests are on the horizon, but if England have any hope of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in France in the next 12 months, they'll need to go toe-to-toe with New Zealand and South Africa, and take the numerous positives from this match into the next two. Blossoms remained Brave, but were batteredEngland are well placed to progress, and while their present approach to play may not have many advocates outside of their squad, the efficacy so far is less up for debate. Expect more of the same today, this is Tournament Rugby™, after all. Jones chopped his squad to 25 yesterday - the full line-up to be revealed in the next post in this blog - but the signs are that there will be few, if any, changes. Lewis Ludlam has been rewarded for his energetic cameo in England's win over Argentina with a starting spot at number eight. Japan head coach Jamie Joseph has brought in three veterans of their 2019 campaign - hooker Shota Horie, flanker Pieter Labuschagne and captain and number eight Kazuki Himeno - with centre Tomoki Osada the other change to the starting line-up.

The influence he has on the team, even now when he is not playing or when he is at 10 or 12 is absolutely enormous.However, he rejected the suggestion that Farrell's absence frees him to manage the game to his own instincts.

BetMGM in the US has a touch more faith in Japan, having chances of an England victory slightly shorter at 1/14, while Japan's odds are also shortened to 13/2. Prime members in UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Ireland can watch the 2022 Rugby Autumn Nation series on Prime Video for no additional fees. Vunipola, the sole specialist number eight in England's squad, is also on the bench after serving a two-match ban following his red card for a high hit on Andrew Porter in the defeat by Ireland last month.We have to] want the ball, get the ball in space and make things happen, and not wait for the perfect picture." Australia:All matches in the Autumn Nations Series, as well as this Test, will be streamed via Stan Sport in Australia. Last week, George Ford’s tactical nous - drop goals included - paved the way for an England victory after the red card to Curry. Tony Brown, Japan assistant coach, has this week hailed the impact of England’s fly-half.

What he does often goes under the radar. He's that type of player and we value that here. Lewis is a great energy giver. He is a great driver of this squad and very generous in helping other team-mates improve. You always need those type of players in your team."Saracens hooker Jamie George is named on the bench, having recovered from a foot injury suffered at the start of October sooner than expected given he was initially ruled out until December. The Brave Blossoms reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 2019 on home soil, beating Ireland and Scotland en route to topping their group.