The match with Japan in the Autumn Nations Series in November will see Eddie Jones return to Twickenham for the first time since being sacked as England head coach; the teams are due to meet in Tokyo in July; New Zealand, Australia and South Africa are England's other autumn opponents
Thursday 25 January 2024 13:01, UK
England will come up against former head coach Eddie Jones when Japan visit Twickenham for their final match of this year’s Autumn Nations Series in November.
It will be Jones' first visit to Twickenham since being sacked by England following the 2022 end-of-year Test matches, with a reunion already set for July this year when Steve Borthwick's side take on the Brave Blossoms in Tokyo.
The 63-year-old, who previously coached Japan between 2012 and 2015, took charge of the team for the second time following his departure as Australia head coach.
Jones' return to the top job with the Wallabies lasted barely 10 months and ended with him resigning after they exited the 2023 Rugby World Cup at the pool stage for the first time in their history.
The match against Japan will bookend this year's Autumn Nations Series for England, which begins with the visit of World Cup runners-up New Zealand on Saturday, November 2.
Australia are the visitors the following weekend, with world champions South Africa coming to town on the weekend of November 16.
The match against the Brave Blossoms on the weekend of November 23 will be the fourth time they have played at Twickenham, most recently doing so two years ago when England won 52-13.
Exact dates and kick-off times for the games against Australia, South Africa and Japan have yet to be confirmed.
The most recent meeting of the teams came in Pool D at last year's World Cup in Nice, France, where England came out on top in a 34-12 bonus-point win.
Steve Borthwick is determined for England to make a fast start when they get their Six Nations campaign under way against Italy on February 3.
England go into this year's tournament on the back of an unexpected third-place finish at the World Cup, but the head coach has just 17 players remaining from that tournament in his 36-man training squad and has called up seven uncapped players.
A trip to Rome first up offers Borthwick's side a strong chance of getting this year's Six Nations going with a bonus-point win and the former international second row is eager to make a flying start.
"Our intent is to hit the ground running in Rome the way we want with the intensity that we want to, which is something that England have not done in recent years," Borthwick said.
"At times, we have not jumped into this tournament and have been caught in that first game.
"We want this to be a different mindset for England, a different way of approaching the game and the tournament.
"We are taking a different approach because we need different results to previous tournaments."
