Provocateur-supreme Jones returns to face his former England charges

Japan coach Eddie Jones returns to Twickenham on Saturday to face England, the team he led from 2015 to 2022. Japan are underdogs, but Jones says they will use unorthodox tactics to disrupt England, adding a familiar psychological edge to the fixture.

Jones’s former players have mixed views of his tenure: Jamie George credits him with helping England reach the 2019 World Cup final and achieve other successes, while Danny Care later described the coaching environment as toxic. Now in his second spell with Japan, Jones has helped build a more consistent side: Japan won this year’s Pacific Nations Cup, beat Italy in July and recently lost narrowly to Wales and Australia.