Will Joseph scores five as England beat Japan 78-15

Will Joseph marked his return to England’s starting side with five tries in Saturday’s 78-15 win over Japan, matching the men’s national record for most tries in a Test match and strengthening his case for a place against New Zealand next weekend.

The 24-year-old had won his only previous cap in 2022, when he was a teenager. He was deployed on the wing at Twickenham as England looked for attacking spark after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was ruled out of their autumn campaign.

Joseph’s five tries put him alongside Douglas Lambert, Rory Underwood, Josh Lewsey and Henry Arundell, who also scored five in a match for England. The win over Japan was England’s fourth in a row after a run of five successive defeats.

England head coach Steve Borthwick said the team was “really starting to play well” and praised its speed and positioning in attack. Japan coach Eddie Jones, who gave Joseph his first cap, joked afterwards that it was not very loyal of the winger to score five tries against him. He added: “He’s a great kid. He always was going to be a good player.”

New Zealand, beaten by Wales, are next up on Saturday. Borthwick is also waiting on the fitness of Ollie Chessum, Seb Atkinson and George Furbank, who are hoping to return in time for the match.