Eddie Jones had spent the week grumbling about Twickenham's in-stadium entertainment, telling BBC Radio 5 Live that being instructed when to cheer was "a bit funny." On Saturday, the Japan head coach sat stone-faced in the coaching box as the big screen urged the crowd to raise the volume once more, this time while his side was being dismantled 78-15 by England.
For Jones, returning to the venue where he spent seven years in charge, there was little to savor. For everyone else packed into a capacity Twickenham, the afternoon was a joy. Junior tickets priced at £15 drew a younger, louder crowd, and England responded with a 13-try spectacle that had the stands roaring.
Will Joseph Steals the Show
At the heart of the chorus was Will Joseph, whose five tries made him the story of the day. The 24-year-old had won his only previous England cap under Jones in 2022, when he was a teenage apprentice thrust into a Test in Australia as a late replacement.
His path since has been anything but smooth. He struggled for minutes and fitness at Harlequins after London Irish's collapse forced him to leave his boyhood club, and an auto-immune condition cost him the hearing in his left ear. This season, though, he has flourished at Gloucester, emerging as a swerving, offloading threat on the wing or in midfield.
England deployed him out wide to replace some of the spark lost when Immanuel Feyi-Waboso limped out of the autumn campaign, and Joseph delivered. "He is just so fast," former England wing Chris Ashton said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "He doesn't look too fast in the first two steps and then he is just gone."
His cartwheeling finish for his fourth try summed up the exuberance of the afternoon. In the aftermath, Japan flanker Ben Gunter placed a consoling arm around full-back Kazuma Ueda, who had been comprehensively beaten in the race to the corner.
Plenty for Borthwick to Admire
Steve Borthwick had much else to please him. George Martin was at his abrasive best, leading England's carry and tackle statistics in the kind of performance the side had awaited since his 14-month injury lay-off ended in May. Ellis Genge brought fire and bruising physicality, while Maro Itoje's revival continued. In the backs, Max Ojomoh proved too clever and quick for Japan's midfield.
Henry Pollock, another point of interest in a much-changed line-up, found the ball harder to come by but did the unglamorous defensive work that some had questioned.
Borthwick will now wait nervously on medical updates, with Ollie Chessum, Seb Atkinson and George Furbank hoping to return in time for New Zealand next Saturday. The All Blacks, stung by defeat to Wales, would represent a significant step up.
Even Jones managed a smile by the end. "It kills me that Will Joseph, I gave him his first cap, he scores five tries against me," he joked. "Now that's not being very loyal, is it? He's a great kid. He always was going to be a good player." England will hope he turns out even better than that.
