England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, expressed concerns over his team’s lack of discipline despite their 52-17 victory against Japan during the summer tour on Saturday morning.
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Marcus Smith strengthened his case for keeping the number 10 jersey for the series against New Zealand with an impressive performance in England’s convincing win over Japan.
The Harlequins fly-half contributed 13 points, including a well-crafted try from a set-play, as England kicked off their summer tour by defeating Eddie Jones’ team in Tokyo.
However, the England coach remained unimpressed.
“The performance level will need to rise when we face New Zealand in two weeks’ time,” said Borthwick. “The discipline … you can’t give that number of penalties away, we know that.
“You also can’t give New Zealand the space we gave Japan but I expect our performance to go up a level. The team has had one session in England before we flew and, after getting over the jet lag, we’ve had one proper session in Japan since we arrived.
“To produce that [display] off a couple of sessions together has been very impressive from the players’ point of view but we will need to go up several levels – and I expect us to do so – when we face New Zealand.”
Borthwick denied to comment on whether he thought Ewels would be suspended for his reckless clear-out on Japan’s Michael Leitch.
Five England players who flopped and who should replace them for All Blacks clash
England kicked off their summer tour with a confident display, outplaying Eddie Jones’ side in the sweltering Tokyo heat. While Smith’s performance was a clear highlight, the match wasn’t without its disappointments.
Below, we spotlight five players who struggled to make an impact in the challenging conditions.
#1. Charlie Ewels
RUCK 5/10: “On at the 65 minute mark, yet was immediately under his own posts as Japan crossed for their first try. Solid work at the set-piece, as despite leaking a couple of tries England kept their strength in attack. Dangerous clear out on Michael Leitch at 72 minutes, as he dove at the captain’s legs. Shown a yellow card (and off-field review) as England finished the match with 14 men. The off-field review upgraded the offence to a red card for the Bath man, no mitigation and a high degree of danger.”
Express 2/10: “The forward came off the bench for England in the 66th minute and was sent off just eight minutes later for dangerous play, taking out Michael Leitch.”
Rugby Pass 0/10: ” it was a nightmare for England’s fifth forward replacement as Ewels (0), a 66th-minute sub for Freeman, was yellow carded seven minutes later for a dangerous clear-out on Michael Leitch.”
Replacement: Alex Coles