Japan’s Brave Blossoms have been in full bloom heading into this Rugby World Cup. They’re on a seven-match winning streak.
England, meanwhile, have been Helter Skelter. They held their nerve against Argentina in their opening fixture of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but they headed into the tournament off the back of losses against Fiji, Ireland and Wales.
And if Japan needed any further inspiration, they need not look any further than the very same Fiji who pulled off a famous upset when they beat Australia on Sunday.
RWC 2023: England vs Japan Key Points
Japan will be chasing their first victory against England after losing all three tests between 1987 and 2022, and five tour games against England XV between 1971 and 1986.
They have only led at half-time once against England, 15-10 at Twickenham in 2018, before going on to lose 35-15 at full-time.
They have never scored more than 15 points and two tries against England in a test.
They have been held try-less in three of the six halves of test rugby they have played against England, in the first-half in 1987 and 2022, and second-half in 2018.
Statistic
Value
First time in Nice
Yes
Japan – Previous matches in France
12
England – Tests outside Paris in France
6
Head-to-Head – Matches Played
3
Head-to-Head – England Wins
3
Head-to-Head – Japan Wins
0
Highest Score by England
60
Biggest Winning Margin by England
53
RWC Matches Played (1987-2023)
51
RWC Wins (1987-2023)
37
RWC Losses (1987-2023)
14
RWC Draws (1987-2023)
0
Head-to-Head Stats: England vs Japan (1987-2022)
Overall Stats
Value
Matches Played
3
England Wins
3
Japan Wins
0
High Scores & Margins
Statistic
Value
Date
Highest Score (England)
60 (60-7)
30 May 1987
Biggest Winning Margin
England 53
30 May 1987
Previous Meetings
Year
Winner
Score
Margin
Venue
2022
England
52-13
39
Twickenham, London
2018
England
35-15
20
Twickenham, London
1987
England
60-7
53
Concord Oval, Sydney
Average tries and points
England have averaged 49 points and 7.3 tries per game against Japan since 1987.
The second half has been England’s highest scoring period, averaging 32.3 points per game after half-time.
Despite England winning their last meeting 52-13, Japan dominated possession and territory with 61% and 58% respectively.
Japan made more carries (136-73), metres (812-584), and beat more defenders (38-17) than England but struggled to get into the opposition 22 with only seven entries.
Japan had 20% of their total possession in the opposition half between the 50-metre and 22-metre line but only 14% inside the attacking red zone.
England made a game-high 175 tackles and won three breakdown turnovers in the match, completing 82% of their tackle attempts.
Match Outcomes for Japan
Outcome
Frequency
Wins against England
0
Times led at halftime
1
Tests with more than 15 points scored
0
Tests with more than 2 tries scored
0
Scoring and Leading in Halves
Statistic
First Half
Second Half
Halves led by Japan
1
0
Halves Japan held try-less
2
1
Rugby World Cup Head-to-Head: England vs Japan
Overall Stats in RWC
Value
Matches Played
1
England Wins
1
Japan Wins
0
RWC High Scores & Margins
Statistic
Value
Date
Highest Score (England)
60 (60-7)
30 May 1987
Biggest Winning Margin
England 53
30 May 1987
Past RWC Meetings
Year
Winner
Score
Margin
Venue
Stage
1987
England
60-7
53
Concord Oval, Sydney
Pool
Time Span and Rarity
Statistic
Detail
Time since last RWC meeting
Since 1987
Number of RWC matches since
374
Rank of last meeting in RWC history
14th match
Rare RWC Fixtures
Fixture
Last Occurred In RWC
Fiji vs Argentina
1987
Fiji vs New Zealand
1987
Fiji vs Italy
1987
France vs Zimbabwe
1987
France vs Tonga
1987
Zimbabwe vs Romania
1987
Ireland vs Tonga
1987
Overall RWC Stats: Japan (1987-2023)
Statistic
Value
Matches
34
Wins
9
Losses
23
Draws
2
Japan Tournament Placing by Year
Year
Position
1987
Pool
1991
Pool
1995
Pool
1999
Pool
2003
Pool
2007
Pool
2011
Pool
2015
Pool
2019
5th
Key Points: Japan
Milestones and Records
Details
Current pool-stage winning streak
7 games since 2015
Only won second game of tournament once
2019 vs Ireland
Opening two-game records
Won both in 2019, otherwise poor
Second-largest RWC victory
Last game (30 points), after 44-point win vs Zimbabwe in 1991
