Japan coach Eddie Jones targets Twickenham upset against England

Japan head coach Eddie Jones says his team is drawing inspiration from Italy, who defeated England for the first time in March, as the Brave Blossoms attempt to heap pressure back on Steve Borthwick with their own landmark win this Saturday.

Jones was sacked by England in December 2022 following a difficult autumn campaign that concluded with a 27-13 defeat by South Africa at Twickenham, an occasion marked by jeers from home supporters. The 66-year-old Australian hopes to cause similar unrest upon his return to the Allianz Stadium this weekend.

"We're massive underdogs," Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We've got to find a way to disrupt an England side that's looking at New Zealand next week and sometimes may be a little bit distracted."

"Our opportunity is to get in there, cause some havoc, cause some chaos, put off their game, get the crowd booing. Then the sky starts to come in on Twickenham and you never know what can happen. We've seen it happen with Italy and other countries."

Japan have lost all six of their previous Test matches against England, most recently suffering a 54-19 defeat during their autumn tour two years ago. However, Italy, who secured their first win in 33 attempts earlier this year, and Fiji, who claimed a 30-22 victory in 2023, have both achieved maiden wins over England during Borthwick's tenure.

Jones believes England's players are uniquely susceptible to pressure due to a level of scrutiny that is unprecedented in the global game. A sequence of five successive defeats earlier this year, coupled with reports of a rift between players and coaches, increased the pressure on England prior to Sunday's match against Australia.

Borthwick's players, who had maintained that the squad remained united, delivered an impressive 45-22 victory to vindicate their coach. "The noise does get to the team and it can be pretty loud in England," said Jones, who previously worked with Borthwick as an assistant in Japan and England.

"You've got a lot of newspapers, a lot of media, probably more than any other country in the world. Sometimes that can weigh down on the players and it's the job of the leadership to get the players thinking straight. Steve's an outstanding coach and a very intelligent man, and a really good coach. So I've got the highest respect for him."