For England, the challenge on Saturday is not just Japan. It is proving they can stay locked in on the job in front of them, even with New Zealand looming as the box-office fixture later in the campaign. That was the tension Eddie Jones tried to create ahead of the game at Twickenham, suggesting England could be vulnerable to an upset because their eyes might already be drifting toward the All Blacks. Tom Harrison’s response was to shut that idea down.
“That’s nowhere near the case because we understand how important this game is,” Harrison said. That is the key point in this England vs Japan rugby Test: the talk may be about New Zealand, but the selection and the messaging say England are treating Japan as a serious test in its own right. Harrison added that England understand “the challenge Japan can throw at us” and that they must be “alive in every single moment” against a side capable of unorthodox rugby.
Selection says the focus is now
There is also a practical reason England do not look like a side taking Japan lightly. Steve Borthwick has made 10 changes, and that kind of reshuffle usually creates two competing truths at once. On one hand, it gives more players a chance to make an impression as squad places are being considered for next year’s World Cup. On the other, it means England have to build enough cohesion quickly enough to avoid turning selection into distraction.
Cadan Murley is one of the players in the side, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso injured, and the wing said the priority is simple. “I just want go out there and play my best rugby,” he said. “I’ll focus on what I can do, control the controllables, and hopefully that will get me in the mix further down the line.” For Murley, this is not a game to think about November 21 or anything beyond it. It is his first game at Twickenham, and that alone is enough to sharpen the moment.
Why the upset talk matters
Jones’ warning is not meaningless just because England rejected it. Japan have a history of unsettling teams that expect a tidy afternoon, and Harrison was careful to acknowledge that reality. He said England need to be ready for “unorthodox things” and must stay “alive” to the way Japan play. That is a useful admission, because it suggests England’s response is not complacency so much as confidence in their preparation.
Harrison was also complimentary about Jones himself, calling him a “rugby genius” and pointing to the way players talk about him. That is a respectful way to handle the noise without letting it define the week. The broader point is more important: England cannot afford to spend their energy on the psychology of the next fixture when Saturday’s Test already carries its own pressures, especially with World Cup selection conversations running in the background.
So the message from England is clear enough. New Zealand may be the headline act later on, but Japan are the next opponent, and Twickenham will demand full attention before anything else. If England get that right, the distraction debate will fade quickly. If they do not, Jones’ warning will suddenly look a lot sharper.
