SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Steve Borthwick is taking a huge risk with his England lineup against Japan on Sunday

England have missed an opportunity to lead the way on player welfare by recalling Tom Curry.

The flanker was knocked unconscious and carried off in the defeat to Australia. It was a hugely worrying clash between Curry and the Wallabies’ Rob Valetini.

Curry is no stranger to head injuries and I wonder if he needs to play against Japan on Sunday. Curry suffered his fifth concussion in two years while on club duty in September.

In 2022 he flew home from the tour of Australia due to the consequences of a head injury. There is no way Curry would have played against Japan had he not completed all return-to-play protocols and been given the green light by England’s medical team. But for me it’s not just about the science. The data shows that Curry is fit to play.

However, it seems pretty clear that Curry’s susceptibility to head injuries is a major problem.

As a senior England international and British & Irish Lion, Steve Borthwick won’t learn much he doesn’t already know about Curry this weekend.

It’s hard to know what Steve Borthwick will learn from playing Curry this weekend

It is positive that Asher Opoku-Fordjour is part of the matchday squad, but he should start

Why not give him another week off, let him recover and make sure he’s fully fit to return for sales in Europe? That would have been the best approach in my opinion.

It is clear that Borthwick knows he has to win against Japan after three consecutive autumn defeats and a winless run of five games in total.

That’s why he’s chosen what he believes is his strongest suit, and Borthwick clearly thinks Curry is in that. Reasonable. But this is Japan. England will win with or without Curry. So, is it really worth it?

I’m not sure if that is the case. When I saw the England team for Japan I was a little disappointed. I would have liked to see a few more new faces given a chance.

Don’t get me wrong, I was not in favor of wholesale changes. I’m happy to see Asher Opoku-Fordjour on the bench. But why not include him – and any other new faces – in this match, given the caliber of the opposition? Japan isn’t the threat it once was, so it’s a perfect opportunity to see what the next generation has to offer. That didn’t happen.

It’s a shame because the RFU keep talking about the incredible talent that England has brought through, in charge of the under-20s who won the Junior World Cup in the summer.

We’ve seen some of those guys in action in the Premier League, so let’s see them take that next step.

One thing I would like to say about the England team is that I would like to praise Marcus Smith. I’m really pleased that he seems to have put his stamp on the number 10 shirt.

Marcus Smith has had an excellent autumn and has established himself as England’s number 10

Smith has had a wonderful fall. He shouldn’t have been left out against New Zealand and he can be satisfied with his work in the Australia and South Africa Games, even if he couldn’t take the team to success. Looking at the autumn as a whole and with next summer’s Lions series in mind, I’m not sure many British players have really distinguished themselves.

But Smith is certainly one. His attacking play was excellent. We already knew this was his field. But Smith’s game management and kicking were also very good.

He is now the heartbeat of the team and a certainty to tour Australia with the Lions. Smith will finally find himself in a winning England team on Sunday, barring disaster.

Frankly, the prospect of a home defeat is unthinkable. That won’t happen as Japan have unfortunately regressed badly since the 2019 World Cup, where they were brilliant to watch. The global game needs a strong Japan.