Jones Vows to Shake Twickenham as Japan Target a Distracted England

Eddie Jones has made clear that Japan will not be travelling to Twickenham to be polite. Ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship Test, the former England head coach said his side intend to "make the Twickenham sky fall in on" Steve Borthwick's players, and he described the hosts as distracted going into the match.

The remark is a pointed one, and it comes from a man who knows the stadium, the England set-up and the pressure that surrounds both better than almost anyone. Jones spent several years in charge of England, taking them to the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup before leaving the role. Since then he has been building a Japan side that is keen to test itself against the established Test nations, and he has never been shy about using the history between the two camps as a motivational tool.

Jones did not spell out exactly what he thinks has pulled England's focus away from the pitch. The phrase suggests he believes the noise around the team, from selection debates to wider questions about the direction of the programme, could leave the home side less sharp than it should be. Borthwick has faced plenty of scrutiny since taking over, and any team in that position can be vulnerable to a visitor who arrives with nothing to lose and a clear plan to disrupt the tempo.

For England, the challenge is straightforward. They will need to match Japan's intensity from the first whistle and avoid giving away the cheap penalties and turnovers that can turn a home crowd anxious. For Japan, the prize is obvious: a win on one of rugby's most famous grounds would send a message to the rest of the Test world and would be a statement of intent from a team that has steadily raised its profile. Whether Jones's words are a psychological edge or simply a provocation, they have ensured the fixture will carry more edge than the scheduling alone suggested.