England have made 10 changes for their Nations Championship match against Japan, with Max Ojomoh handed a start at inside centre and Henry Pollock beginning again at No 8. The reshuffle, announced on match day at the Allianz Stadium, also keeps George Ford at fly-half as Steve Borthwick turns to a different look for the sold-out fixture.
The game was due to kick off at 4.40pm GMT, and the timing matters because England are now deep into the part of the build-up where places for the World Cup are being settled. Borthwick said that “probably 26 to 28” of the 33-man squad is already decided, which is why this is less a full reset than a final look at who can still force a way in.
That is the appeal for Ojomoh and the other players given chances against Japan. England beat Australia by 45 points last weekend, so Borthwick could afford to change a large part of the side while still keeping a competitive spine in place. Freddie Steward, Will Joseph, Henry Slade, Cadan Murley, Jack van Poortvliet, Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Alex Coles and Ben Earl were all included in a team that looks designed to test depth without abandoning rhythm.
Japan arrive after a 28-21 defeat in Wales, and they were still being spoken of as a team with a chance to trouble England. Eddie Jones, who now coaches Japan, said he was “looking forward to going to Twickenham with this young Japanese team that’s going to play the house down”, a remark that sharpened the sense that England were being watched closely as much for attitude as selection. With a sold-out crowd and New Zealand next weekend, this was never just a routine change of personnel.
The unresolved question is not whether England can beat Japan, but how many of these changes still look like World Cup material once the final 20 minutes turn the game into something more revealing. For Ojomoh, Pollock and the rest, this was the kind of afternoon that can move a player from the margins toward Borthwick’s final list, or leave him waiting for another chance.
