Skip to content Maro Itoje knows exactly what kind of trap his former international boss wants to spring on Saturday afternoon. Eddie Jones made his intentions clear this week, declaring his plan to bring pure chaos to Twickenham because he believes English players crumble whenever rugby turns unorthodox. For England, that psychological bait will test their discipline just seven days after running in six tries against Australia.
Jones gave the current captain his Test debut back in 2016, beginning a seven-year partnership between the two men in the national setup. Because of that shared history, nobody in the home dressing room understands the Australian tactician’s bag of tricks better than the lock leading them out. Japan arrive as massive underdogs seeking their first-ever victory against England across seven attempts, but their strategy relies on disruption rather than brute force.
Also read: Wheelchair World Cup: England Beat France 50-38 in Final
Instead of matching England in muscle, the visitors intend to keep the ball alive and pull the hosts into loose, unstructured phases. That contrast in styles makes this autumn fixture much trickier than the lopsided odds suggest.
How Maro Itoje plans to handle the chaos
England enter this weekend with confidence after their 45-22 win over the Wallabies, yet complacency remains the biggest danger against a restless opponent. Itoje spent years training under Jones, so he remembers every peculiar drill and sudden tactical shift the veteran coach used to throw at his squads.
The skipper warned his teammates that Japan will attempt to scramble England’s defensive lines with odd attacking shapes and unusual set-piece routines. Preparation only goes so far when facing an opponent committed to making the game feel frantic.
“Eddie would throw a whole load of weird and wonderful things at us to keep us sharp and keep us on our toes.”
That experience shaped the message Itoje delivered to the squad throughout training this week. He urged his players to stay sharp rather than assuming this contest will resemble standard international rugby.
“We need to be alive, alive alive,” Itoje said. “It’s impossible to tick off every eventuality that an opposition might do, especially a team like Japan who have a very distinct way of playing.”
“Let’s not sleepwalk into things and think ‘most teams play like this’ because Japan aren’t most teams,” he added. “One, we need to be alive. Two, we need to impose our game. If we’re alive and we’ve got our house in order then we should be able to deal with what they throw at us.”
What Steve Borthwick wants from his fringe players
While Jones tries to unsettle the hosts, head coach Steve Borthwick is running a ruthless selection exercise behind the scenes. This second autumn Test serves as a direct audition for squad members fighting for remaining World Cup spots.
Borthwick has already locked in 28 of his 33 spots for the tournament, leaving only five vacancies open across the entire squad. That leaves rookies like Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph under intense pressure to deliver an audition that demands selection.
Opportunities at this level do not come around often for fringe players, so the temptation to chase personal highlights will run high. Still, the coaching staff will punish anyone who abandons defensive shape or game management just to catch the eye.
Why Maro Itoje warned rookies against going solo
Itoje made sure to address that balance directly before England rugby took the field for their final team run. He reminded the younger members of the group that individual flair only counts when it serves the collective game plan.
“The way you impress is by fully expressing yourself within the context of the team,” Itoje explained. “If you have 15 players doing their own thing it won’t look great and then no one really shines.”
The captain stressed that discipline does not mean holding back talent, but it does mean working inside Borthwick’s framework. “The message this week – and every week really – is that we want the very best of each and every one of these guys, whether it’s a Will Joseph or a Max Ojomoh,” he said. “We want them to fully express themselves but within the context of the team so that we can all work together and it be coherent.”
New perspective after a summer break
For Maro Itoje himself, this autumn campaign marks the start of a fresh personal chapter as he prepares to lead his country toward another World Cup cycle. He sat out the July tour, taking his first genuine off-season rest in more than ten years.
During that summer break, his wife Mimi gave birth to their first child, Moses, who attended his first match at Allianz Stadium last Sunday. The England lock admitted that fatherhood immediately reshaped how he views his time on the pitch.
“When my son was born I felt an overwhelming sense of duty – a duty to him, a duty to my wife,” Itoje said. “I want to set a good example for him, guide him and help him to be a responsible person in this world that we’re living in.”
He noted that family life gave him added motivation rather than taking his focus away from his professional standards. “Having a child has made me cherish the rugby but it’s also made me want to make sure that when he’s old enough to look back at the body of work in my career, he will look back with pride and he’ll respect the work that his father has done.”
Saturday’s clash against the Brave Blossoms kicks off at Allianz Stadium, where England will find out whether Jones’ chaos can puncture their momentum.
Source: Independent Sport
