The message from the England camp this weekend should be crystal clear: we are not conceding any tries to Japan. While Eddie Jones may be relishing his return to Twickenham, aiming to exploit any vulnerabilities England have after five consecutive losses, this Japan team is not harboring realistic hopes of an upset. Therefore, after a fallow autumn marked by defensive lapses, England's primary goal should be to tighten up. They must ensure that, even if the outcome is not in doubt, they defend their line with everything they have. It can be challenging when the drop-off in quality is so stark after facing back-to-back world champions South Africa. Historically, Japan is a team that likes to move the ball, and I don't expect that to change. However, England faced the same team in Tokyo during the summer, their first match of that tour, and scored 50 points despite stifling humidity. Rather than aiming for a similar point tally or number of tries, I challenge England to keep Japan tryless. In every aspect of the game, they should assert their dominance. Steve Borthwick has expressed his desire for England to be a team that excites with the ball in hand, and I want to see that on Sunday, not just in the first quarter but in the final 20 minutes as well. I want to see England dominate aerially, on the ground, and target their set piece. But above all, defense is the foundation of everything. Don't give them any opportunities, be fully connected, aggressive, and win those exchanges. Twelve tries conceded in three matches so far is a cause for concern, but a better defensive performance on Sunday could positively influence England's outlook for the Six Nations. The concern over defense stems from seeing good defensive players making mistakes that are out of character. Ben Earl's missed tackle on Damian de Allende is a prime example—Henry Slade was also at fault—and that came as a surprise. I'm seeing individual errors and systematic errors. A blitz defense often relies on two-man tackles, but we're not seeing many. If you're rushing off the line and guiding opponents from outside to in, you should see two-man collisions, but it's just not happening. Admittedly, South Africa is a physically dominant team, but they made three times as many dominant hits as England. This is due to their defensive structure, which allows them to be more connected. In other words, two-man tackles are much harder when there is a disconnect. In possession—and I expect them to have plenty against Japan—I want to see England thrive within their structures. They have scored some excellent tries this autumn, the kind of plays we were yearning for not long ago, but much of it has come from unstructured play. Marcus Smith has dazzled when the game becomes unstructured, but how often have England scored by going through phases and their structures? Don't get me wrong, you should never go through phases for the sake of it, and if it only takes a couple to get over the tryline, that's brilliant. But I want to see England using their structure, their shape, and their launch plays. I've seen several launch plays, whether from a lineout or a scrum, break down. I want to see better connectivity in that regard. I've reflected on the past three matches a lot this week. Despite the disappointment, if you're a neutral, the best tickets of this Autumn Nations Series have been at Twickenham. There was last-minute drama against the All Blacks, last-minute drama against Australia, and what was ultimately a pretty tight contest against the world champions. All three matches have been entertaining, with moments of sublime genius from Smith, who has beaten 17 defenders, and Len Ikitau's phenomenal skill to win the game for the Wallabies. England has been left with a series of what-ifs—had George Ford's penalty not struck a post, had he found the target with his drop goal—and it's easy to look at their performances through a positive lens. But results have been disappointing, and there's no getting away from that. Coming into the autumn, I believed that three wins would have been a decent return. On one hand, you could argue they haven't been too far off that, as Borthwick and his players have reminded us, but at the sharp end of sport, it comes down to results, and they have just not been good enough. I don't think there is a single supporter or player who is accepting that the results have been good enough regardless of some of the moments we've had, and they will know that needs to change come the Six Nations.

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