Pollock Starts Alongside Ojomoh and Joseph in Bold England Side

Henry Pollock will start at number eight for England this Saturday against Japan, leading a side featuring 10 changes following last weekend’s 45-22 victory over Australia.

Head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed the selection for the Nations Championship fixture at Twickenham, which kicks off at 4:40pm on Saturday, November 14. This will be only the second time in 15 Tests that the 21-year-old has been named in the starting lineup. While Pollock has frequently scored tries coming off the bench, his only other start occurred during a 42-21 loss to Ireland in February.

The reshuffled side includes Max Ojomoh at inside centre and Will Joseph on the wing. Ojomoh, the Bath player, was not initially included in the 36-man squad for this month’s matches, but earned promotion to the senior starting lineup following a starring performance for England A in their win against an Argentina XV last Friday.

His inclusion comes ahead of Fraser Dingwall, as first-choice Seb Atkinson has been ruled out due to a hip injury. Ojomoh, who has not played for England since a previous win over Argentina, will look to utilize his playmaking and running abilities, though Borthwick has previously sought improvements in his defensive work and off-the-ball effort.

Will Joseph replaces Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the wing. Joseph, who is one of the key players in Gloucester’s current resurgence, makes his first England appearance since July 2022. His previous single cap was earned under the current Japan coach, Eddie Jones.

The absence of Feyi-Waboso is due to an ankle injury, while George Furbank is also unavailable due to a groin injury. Borthwick said that other options to fill the wing or center roles included Cadan Murley, Tom Elliott, Noah Caluori, or shifting Joe Marchant into the position.

In the back row, Alex Coles has been moved from lock to blindside flanker to provide ballast in place of the injured Ollie Chessum. Ben Earl moves from number eight to openside flanker. Captain Maro Itoje retains his starting position in the second row alongside George Martin.

In the backline, Henry Slade at outside centre and Jack van Poortvliet at scrum-half are the only other players to keep their starting spots from the previous week. Cadan Murley will start on the left wing, replacing Tommy Freeman.

George Ford is named at fly-half. Fin Smith, who recently played a full 80 minutes against Australia after recovering from a calf injury, has been rotated out of the matchday squad. Marcus Smith, who has recently impressed while playing for Harlequins, will start on the bench.

The replacements include an inexperienced group of players.

Skysports henry pollock england — Photo: skysports.com

England enters the match having won all six of their previous encounters against Japan. Their most recent meeting took place in Tokyo in June 2024, where they won 52-17. Following this Saturday, England is scheduled to play New Zealand on Saturday, November 21.

“As soon as a game gets loose, if a game gets loose, Japan are very, very dangerous,” head coach Steve Borthwick said.

England side to face Japan: