Independent England sport Est. 2026 · England, every angle

No noise. No nonsense. Just England.

England men · Rugby World Cup

England
v Japan⁠

34–12

Full time

England v Japan finished 34–12.

Japan
None
Date
Sunday 17 September 2023 · England in 2023
Venue
Allianz Riviera, Nice
Competition
Rugby World Cup

Last checked 21 October 2026

Team sheets

Line-ups

England

Starting XV

Replacements

Japan

Starting XV

  • No. 1, Keita Inagaki Prop Off in the 49'
  • No. 2, Shota Horie Hooker Off in the 61'
  • No. 3, Jiwon Gu Prop Off in the 40'
  • No. 4, Jack Cornelsen Lock
  • No. 5, Amato Fakatava Lock Off in the 61'
  • No. 6, Michael Leitch Flanker
  • No. 7, Pieter Labuschagne Flanker Off in the 73'
  • No. 8, Kazuki Himeno (c) Number 8
  • No. 9, Yutaka Nagare Scrum Half Off in the 64'
  • No. 10, Rikiya Matsuda Fly Half
  • No. 11, Jone Naikabula Wing Off in the 49'
  • No. 12, Ryoto Nakamura Centre
  • No. 13, Tomoki Osada Centre
  • No. 14, Kotaro Matsushima Wing
  • No. 15, Semisi Masirewa Full Back Off in the 6'

Replacements

  • No. 16, Atsushi Sakate On in the 61'
  • No. 17, Craig Millar On in the 49'
  • No. 18, Asaeli Ai Valu On in the 40'
  • No. 19, Warner Dearns On in the 61'
  • No. 20, Kanji Shimokawa On in the 73'
  • No. 21, Naoto Saito On in the 64'
  • No. 22, Dylan Riley On in the 49'
  • No. 23, Lomano Lemeki (not used)

Referee: Nika Amashukeli. A replacement who came on is shown with the minute.

Men's senior internationals · Newest first

The 3 meetings before this one

1987 – 2022

01 12 Nov 2022
Test matches · 2022 Autumn International Twickenham Stadium, London

England 52–13 Japan England won

England tries: Freddie Steward 11', Marcus Smith 23', Guy Porter 40', Ellis Genge 47', Guy Porter 49', Penalty try 69', Marcus Smith 74'

Japan tries: Naoto Saito 58'

Match page: England v Japan, 12 November 2022

02 17 Nov 2018
Test matches · Test match Twickenham, London

England 35–15 Japan England won

England tries: Danny Care 3', Mark Wilson 58', Joe Cokanasiga 70', Dylan Hartley 76'

Japan tries: Ryoto Nakamura 22', Michael Leitch 31'

Match page: England v Japan, 17 November 2018

03 30 May 1987
Rugby World Cup Concord Oval, Sydney

Japan 7–60 England England won

England tries: Rory Underwood 31', Gary Rees 38', Jamie Salmon 47', Dean Richards 49', Rory Underwood 56', Kevin Simms 62', Mike Harrison 66', Mike Harrison 68', Nigel Redman 76', Mike Harrison 78'

Japan tries: Katsufumi Miyamoto 42'

Match page: Japan v England, 30 May 1987

Official meetings since 1987

England v Japan stats

Full head-to-head

Meetings6In our results database
England wins6England perspective
Draws0Level at full time
Japan wins0Japan victories

England have scored 292 points to Japan's 78 across these meetings.

Individual fixture records

Who has scored most?

England · Fixture leader

3

Marcus Smith

3 tries against Japan in matches we hold scorer data for.

Japan · Fixture leader

2

Naoto Saito

Japan's leading scorer against England in matches we hold scorer data for.

Bet responsibly

18+ only. Odds and offers are subject to change and to the bookmaker's terms. Set a budget, never chase losses, and treat betting as entertainment. National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133, free, 24/7.

Gambling support: GambleAware.org (opens in a new tab)