Japan player ratings: The Brave Blossoms conceded one of their worst performances since Eddie Jones returned to the side, running over England 78-15 at Allianz Stadium.
Warner Dearns, Michael Stolberg and Jack Cornelsen were the only positives in an otherwise flat performance, with Japan still chasing their first win of the tournament. Nations Championship campaign.
1. Yota Kamimori – 3.5
The Brave Blossoms forward pack was largely non-existent throughout the contest, with England tearing apart the scrum with ease, Yota Kamimori being no exception. He fumbled the ball once and awarded a penalty in a game where nothing went his way.
2. Mamoru Harada – 5
The Japanese line-up made no mistakes, which was the only silver lining from Mamoru Harada’s performance, with a handful of strong tackles.
3. Shuhei Takeuchi – 3.5
Like his fellow front rower Kamimori, Shuhei Takeuchi was up against an opponent who pressed the Japanese pack from the first whistle.
4. Harry Hockings – 2
Harry Hockings’ only role in tonight’s game was a red card for a head-to-head clash, which only made his side’s challenge all the more daunting.
5. Warner Dearnes – 6.5
One of the few to appear at Twickenham. He tore his way through the hosts’ defence, slotting home from close range to give his side some consolation after a devastating opening 30 minutes. He did his best to try and hold the Japanese defense together, but little could be done to avoid England being crushed.
6. Ben Gunter – 5.5
He struggled for most of the contest, and most of his attempts came to nothing. He never found his way back into the game, and was eventually dropped to make way for Jis Lee.
7. Kanji Shimokawa – 6.5
He gave a slightly better performance than his blindside flanker, recording a successful jackal and some good moves. However, he was easily beaten in the fight and off the line as the home pack breezed past Kanji Shimokawa.
8. Jack Cornelsen – 7
While Japan had to endure a disappointing night, Jack Cornelsen deserves credit for his tremendous effort in trying to avoid the demise of his side. The experienced No. 8 would make a charge and then immediately jump back into the line, trying to restart his side at every turn, despite the general apathy. He finished as Japan’s joint top striker with 17 successful attempts.
9. Naoto Saito – 4
Nothing was going their way for Japan, and not even Naoto Saito could turn things around. While most of the scrum-half’s passes found their intended target, they were delivered too slowly, making it easy for England to turn the ball over at the breakdown, with Saito unable to swing the momentum in his side’s favour. The only saving grace was five points off the tee, missing just one of three attempts.
10. Riku Kitahara – 6
Saito’s inability to speed up the game could have marred Riku Kitahara’s performance, but the 27-year-old still managed to string together more than a few good passages of play that could have become something more if his teammates were on the same page.
11. Riku Tokito – 3
Injured, he was replaced in the 27thth minutes. He never touched a pill and was one of the players that Ellis Genge stepped on.
12. Samison Tua – 4
It was not a positive outing for the center pair as both Samisoni Tua and Dylan Riley were unable to impose the physicality they are known for. Tua’s inability to chase down the English backline was a concern at times, with Cadan Murley, Will Joseph and Freddie Steward easily avoiding the inside centre.
13. Dylan Riley – 4
With Dylan Riley expected by most to step up, the center eventually outplayed England and the hosts successfully outplayed one of Japan’s best operators. Having already recorded a poor performance, he was largely a non-factor against England, conceding four handling errors and missing three attempts.
14. Kippei Ishida – 4
A few running meters and nothing special to highlight. With England completely overpowering Japan in the first half, Japan’s outside backs were mostly shut out of the game.
15. Kazuma Ueda – 4
Uncertain is the best word to describe Kazuma Ueda’s afternoon. The full-back conceded too many glaring errors trying to deal with the opposition’s shooting strategy and England made most of their chances count. While he recorded one of his side’s best performances against Wales, today was quite the opposite.
SUBSTITUTIONS – 8
Although England never took their foot off the gas, Japan’s bench was clearly an upgrade on the starting line-up as Opeti Helu, Michael Stolberg and Tiennan Costley made an impact from the moment they came on. Stolberg was particularly impressive, as the loose forward recorded a line break, 80 running metres, four tackles and 11 tackles in less than 65 minutes.