CHRIS FOY: England will tackle the threat of Japan with care and caution… the Brave Blossoms have a history of upsets so Steve Borthwick’s side know they can’t take their eye of the ball

From a seemingly bleak position just three weeks ago, England can all but secure qualification for the quarter-finals on Sunday, but they will be wary of Japan’s famed reputation destroyers and scalpers.

Steve Borthwick’s team won’t be looking ahead to the knockouts, but that’s where they’ll be heading if they overcome the Brave Blossoms in this Mediterranean holiday destination.

A win in their second Pool D match will effectively seal a place in the last eight, with the result against Chile in Lille six days later a foregone conclusion.

However, this fixture is approached with due care and caution. Borthwick and his players will not underestimate the Japanese, given their recent World Cup history. In 2015, with the England head coach part of their management team, the Far Eastern nation stunned South Africa in Brighton. Four years later, as hosts, they defeated top-ranked nations Ireland and Scotland on their way to the quarter-finals, amid growing national hysteria.

Here’s another factor worth keeping in mind. There has been no major unrest in this tournament yet, but after Uruguay gave France a huge scare on Thursday evening, all leading countries will be on their toes. Many countries outside the game’s cozy establishment pose a significant threat these days, and Japan is the world leader in that regard.

But England are on high alert after their shock defeat to Fiji in their pre-tournament warm-up match

Steve Borthwick (left) warned that Japan is a team used to rising to the occasion at the World Cup

England should not fall into the trap of thinking they have done the hard part by putting away Argentina in their opening match. They are on alert, partly because of the shock to their system last month when Fiji stormed the ramparts of Twickenham to a famous victory. Joe Marler – reinstated to the starting

Asked whether it would be a challenge to maintain focus and intensity when facing opponents they are expected to beat, he said: “That might well have been the case if we hadn’t already faced that challenge when playing against a Fijian side that was below us in the rankings. time and we were expected to beat them, and we didn’t.

“That result and going through that experience messed us up perfectly. On paper we are expected to beat this team, but we don’t look at it that way because as soon as you do that you come loose, just like against Fiji.”

The expectation level has skyrocketed. There was none of that last week, but there is plenty now, after England so emphatically dismissed the Pumas with fourteen men. That was the performance base camp, now for the long climb to a distant summit. They have to get up quickly. Time is short. Others are already on the upper slopes, so Borthwick’s men are in frantic catch-up mode.

Last week they were widely considered underdogs. Not this time. They are clear favorites. Just look at the obvious signs. England beat Japan 52-13 last November, scoring seven tries, although only four of that starting team will be in action on Sunday.

They have won all three previous meetings with these Asian rivals, although in 2018 they trailed at half-time at Twickenham but went on to win 35-15, in what has been dubbed their ‘black hole’ game, as certain players such as Alex Lozowski and Zach Mercer have not been limited since.

However, Japan has been having a hard time lately. Notably, they lost to fellow Pool D team Samoa in Sapporo during the summer’s Pacific Nations Cup. Jamie Joseph is stepping down as head coach after this tournament and there was a feeling of stagnation. Japan go into this match at 14th in the World Rugby rankings, while England climbed to sixth with their 27-10 win over Argentina.

Borthwick and his staff have prepared players for a different set of problems than the Pumas’. ‘Kev (Sinfield) has described them as Barcelona, ​​​​with “tiki-taka”,’ Marler said. ‘There is a lot of movement on the ball. They look like a very impressive team when they move the ball. We expect a lot of that next weekend.’

Borthwick helped Eddie Jones lay the foundations for Japan’s emergence as a force, adding: ‘They are a team that is physically very quick and agile and has great fundamental skills. Their ball moves quickly and that brings a lot of challenges to your defense and to the way you play the game, especially early in the game.

“I thought Japan were excellent at the 2015 World Cup and they were even better at the 2019 World Cup. This is a team that is used to performing at World Cups. We know these guys are a very good team with an experienced coaching team. Most of the coaching team has been there and working with them for eight years now. There is a lot of continuity.’

Joe Marler (right) said Japan was compared to Barcelona and their ‘tiki-taka’ style

England will be hoping Japan’s atmosphere of stagnation will work to their advantage in Sunday’s match

England are moving closer to a return for Owen Farrell as his ban ends

In reality, no amount of continuity could save them from an English eclipse tomorrow. The campaign launch event was such a moving success that the impact on morale and faith should be profound. England know they need to add some layers to their modest repertoire, but they are doing so from a position of strength and without straying too far from the basic principles that served them so well in Marseille; swarming defense, set-piece dominance and clever kicking.

It certainly helps that the tough fitness training during summer camp – the extent of which was not made clear at the time – is now paying off when it counts.

Borthwick will be hoping his faithful rise to the occasion as well as they did the last, when Captain Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, George Ford and Manu Tuilagi were so influential and imperious.

Next week, with Owen Farrell available again, changes to the squad and strategy will be in order ahead of a quiet assignment against Chile, but by then England should have two wins from two, control of their group and a thunderous momentum.