Eddie Jones heads back towards Twickenham as Japan turn their eyes to England

Japan lost 28-21 to Wales in Cardiff at the weekend. Their next stop is Twickenham, where England are waiting, and the man who once ran England's team is back in the story.

Eddie Jones was sacked as England head coach by the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for the sport in England, in late 2022. Before that, he had led England through a long run of results. According to The Guardian, England won 59 and drew 2 of the 81 matches he coached, a winning rate of 73 per cent.

The squad numbers tell a story of their own. Jones picked 112 players for England during his time in charge. Fourteen of them won just one cap, meaning one international appearance, and 18 won two. Rugby squads are built on depth, and a big turnover of players can be a sign of a coach constantly testing options.

Jones has also been on the other side of the fixture. A Japan side coached by him lost 59-14 to England at Twickenham in November 2024. Japan were then known for their fast, running rugby, and England's pack, the forwards who win the physical contests, had far too much power that afternoon.

Not everyone who played under Jones remembers the experience fondly. Danny Care, a former England scrum-half, the player who takes the ball from the forwards and sends it to the backs, described playing for Jones as like living in a dictatorship under a despot. Those are strong words, and they are Care's own.

Jones's Japan are due to face England at Twickenham after the Wales match, so the pair will meet again on the field. For the players involved, it will be a chance to test themselves against a team that knows them well. For fans, it will be a reminder of how closely rugby's coaching world is tied together, with former England figures turning up on rival benches.