England Rugby World Cup ratings as four stars let Borthwick down in Japan win
Rugby World Cup: Borthwick gets hands on in England training drill
England cashed in on the good fortune of a second half fluke try from Courtney Lawes to shake off Japan in Nice last night. Steve Borthwick’s men were living on their nerves with a one-point lead after 56 minutes when the side’s captain crossed for a crucial try after Joe Marler had accidentally headed the ball into his hands.
After a stuttering performance, England pulled away to a 34-12 victory to put one foot in the Rugby World Cup knockout stages. They remain unbeaten in Pool D and having now disposed of their two highest-ranked opponents are hot favourites to top the group. England face Chile on Saturday before the final pool game against Samoa on October 7. Express Sport rates the England players’ performances…
Freddie Steward – Late try spared blushes after an off-colour night when he was fortunate not to gift Lomano Lemeki a first half try. 6.
Jonny May – Clumsy late challenge on Lemeki handed Rikiya Matsuda a simple penalty and added to the self-inflicted pressure on England. 5.
Joe Marchant – Anonymous night until he popped up to score a somewhat misleading bonus point try in injury time. 6.
Manu Tuilagi – Too often the solitary option to get England going forward. Not that they did much with the dents he made. 7.
Elliot Daly – Handling suspect and kicked too often when England had decent possession but one nice flick to Alex Mitchell. 5.
George Ford – Much less comfortable night than against Argentina. Lucky to get away with first half chargedown in his own 22 but nice chip for Steward try. 6.
Alex Mitchell – Error-prone night for the squad bolter who looked unsure which way to turn at times. Kicked terribly. 4.
Joe Marler – Accidental header helped turn the game for England on what was an effective night from the colourful Harlequin. 7.
Jamie George – Forgettable night. Bungled a late chance from close range from lineout move. 5.
Kyle Sinckler – Recalled after pectoral injury but unable to put his stamp on the game. Replaced after 50 minutes 5.
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Maro Itoje – His pressure led to Lewis Ludlam’s first half try but will have better nights in an England jersey. 6
Ollie Chessum – Unsung second row workhorse never stopped grafting but added to the penalty malaise in the second half. 6.
Courtney Lawes – Tireless example provided by England’s stand-in captain and rewarded with weird second half try. 7.
Ben Earl – Busy in Tom Curry’s absence. Accidentally took Japan full-back Semisi Masirewa out of the game with an innocuous shove that saw him fall awkwardly. 7.
Lewis Ludlam – More than justified surprise call to pick the Northampton back row as a try-scoring starter ahead of Billy Vunipola. 7
Japan: Masirewa 4; Matsushima 7, Osada 6, Nakamura 7, Naikabula 7; Matsuda 7, Nagare 6; Inagaki 6, Horie 6, Gu 7, Cornelsen 7, Fakatava 5, Leitch 7, Labuschagne 7, Himeno 7.
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