Will Joseph equals England try record in thrashing of Japan
Winger Will Joseph scored five tries to equal England's men's single-test record in a commanding 78-15 thrashing of Japan at Twickenham.
Will Joseph equalled an England try-scoring record with five tries as Steve Borthwick's side overwhelmed Eddie Jones’ Japan at Twickenham in a fixture that highlighted a stark competitive divide in international rugby.
Returning to the team, the rookie winger seized his chance after being called up to replace the injured Manny Feyi-Waboso, according to reporting by Inews. Joseph took mere seconds to open the scoring, crossing after 59 seconds before completing a hat-trick within 19 minutes. He added a fourth before the interval and a fifth in the second half, equalling the England men’s single-test record previously shared by players including Henry Arundell against Chile at the 2023 World Cup, as noted by ABC News and iNews. Joseph followed in the footsteps of his brother Jonathan, who bagged a hat-trick against Italy ten years prior, making them the first brothers to score hat-tricks for England, according to iNews and ABC News.
Media additions
"A very special day, I loved every minute of that,"
Will Joseph, ITV via ABC News
Joseph added in his broadcaster interview that the match was almost a pretty perfect day, according to ABC News. The afternoon began disastrously for the visitors when Japan lock Harry Hockings received a yellow card for a high shot on prop Ellis Genge, which was subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red card, noted by ABC News. England built a commanding 49-10 lead by halftime, scoring eight tries in the opening forty minutes alone, according to iNews. Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge, Cadan Murley, and Ben Earl all crossed the whitewash during the first-half onslaught, with Genge's score securing the four-try bonus point, according to iNews and ABC News.
The home side finished the match with 13 tries in total, securing a 78-15 victory in the Nations Championship fixture, according to AP reporting via ABC News. It marked England's highest score anywhere in 23 years, comfortably eclipsing their previous high against Japan of 60-7 from the 1987 World Cup, reported by ABC News and iNews. Japan managed two tries in response through a tap penalty from captain Warner Dearns and a neat line-out move finished by replacement prop Opeti Helu, reported by iNews and ABC News. George Martin, Ben Curry, and Marcus Smith also added tries for England in the second half, while teammate Luke Cowan-Dickie spent time in the sin-bin, according to iNews and ABC News.
"We struggled with the physicality and the big carriers, and then the backs just picked apart our defense, which was tough. We know that when we can get our attack going we can score points but it's just about how we can stop other teams scoring points."
Warner Dearns, Japan captain, via ITV and ABC News
Off the pitch, the match achieved a near sell-out crowd at Twickenham, bolstered by a reported record of 9,864 under-16 tickets sold for a men's Test match, according to Aol. Yet the one-sided nature of the fixture sparked wider debate regarding the international rugby landscape. Commentators and analysts pointed to a widening gulf between established unions and emerging nations, compounded by the structure of the Nations Championship and commercial pooling agreements among leading unions that leave teams like Japan and Fiji on the outside, reported by AOL. The RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, outlined plans to unearth future talent while addressing commercial rights for the competition, where 10 of the 12 competing nations are clubbing together, according to AOL.
| Match Metric | England | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 78 | 15 |
| Halftime Score | 49 | 10 |
| Tries Scored | 13 | 2 |
What to watch next
- England host New Zealand next weekend at Twickenham while continuing their campaign, noted by iNews and ABC News.
- Japan travel to Scotland for their next fixture, reported by ABC News.
