England vs Japan: Steve Borthwick needs win against Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms
Japan head coach Eddie Jones did not attend his pre-match news conference on Friday because of health reasons.
The former England boss was well enough, however, to return to Twickenham on Saturday as he finalised his side’s plans to inflict a damaging defeat on the hosts.
Japan arrive in London after beating Uruguay 36-20 in their last outing and England prop Ellis Genge, who made his Test debut under Jones in 2016, says the Australian will relish the opportunity to beat his former side.
“I like the bloke. He was always… not always actually, he wasn’t always nice to me, but we’ve got a good relationship,” said Genge.
“He’s a master of the psychological part of player development and man-management.”
Jones’ leadership style has been criticised in a book by former England scrum-half Danny Care, who claimed players were belittled and berated in a “toxic environment”.
The 64-year-old will face England at Twickenham for the first time since he was sacked by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 2022.
Genge said: “Sometimes he gets it wrong. There have been some nightmare stories of late about him. But he’s a good bloke. He’s a good guy.”
The 29-year-old front row added: “I can’t imagine he’s going to get a cheer when he goes on camera, but he’ll love that part of it. He’ll relish it.
“He will have them fired up and you saw what he did with his Japan side in 2015 that beat South Africa in Brighton.”
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