England thrash Japan 78-15 at Twickenham as Will Joseph scores five tries

A record-equalling return

Will Joseph returned to the England side after four years without a Test appearance and scored five tries in a 78-15 win over Japan at Twickenham, equalling the England record for tries in a match. The Gloucester winger was recalled to the starting XV in place of an injured wing and scored his first try after 59 seconds. He completed a hat-trick 18 minutes later, following in the footsteps of his brother Jonathan, who scored three tries against Italy ten years earlier. Joseph added a fourth try before half-time and a fifth after it, matching Douglas Lambert, Rory Underwood, Josh Lewsey and Henry Arundell, who had each scored five in a single England match.

Hockings sent off in the first minute

Japan lock Harry Hockings made direct contact with the head of Ellis Genge, the England ball carrier, as he tried to hit the loosehead prop. Referee Damian Schneider, after consulting television match official Marius van der Westhuizen, initially judged the incident to meet the yellow card threshold. Foul play review officer Aled Griffiths then upgraded the sanction to a 20-minute red card, judging the challenge to be of a high degree of danger with no mitigation. Under World Rugby rules, Japan can replace Hockings once those 20 minutes have passed. World Rugby's guidelines explain the approach to head contact:

“Player welfare drives World Rugby's decision making for zero tolerance of foul play, especially where head contact occurs.”

England pull away, then ease off

England led 32-3 inside 20 minutes and were 49-10 ahead at half-time, having scored eight tries in the first half. Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge, Cadan Murley and Ben Earl all crossed before the interval, while George Ford kicked four conversions across the match. Japan scored two tries, one from Dearns and one from replacement prop Opeti Helu, and Saito kicked a conversion and a penalty for their 15 points. Helu's try came in the second half, when Japan took advantage of a line-out move after the changes. England responded with tries from George Martin, Ben Curry, who scored his first in England colours, and Marcus Smith, before Joseph's fifth.

England78

Japan15

England

78 points

Japan

15 points

Data from the article text

Fringe players push their case

Max Ojomoh, making his first appearance since an excellent performance against Argentina 12 months earlier, was sharp in midfield. He burst into a pocket of space to help set up Joseph's second try and his slick hands opened a corridor for the fourth. Henry Pollock, afforded only his second start for England, carried well but did not have the impact he has shown off the bench. Greg Fisilau, a replacement, landed two heavy hits and scored a try from close range, and his second cap added to the debate over the back row. Archie McParland, a Northampton scrum-half, made his debut as a replacement. George Ford managed the backline neatly but failed to convert more of England's early tries.

Next up: New Zealand

England's next opponents are the All Blacks, a side that was defeated by Wales. A host of first-choice players are set to return for that match, according to the reporting on the game. Steve Borthwick's side will be expected to carry the momentum from a comfortable afternoon at Twickenham into a far tougher test.