England 78–15 Japan: Will Joseph scores five tries in a 13-try Nations Championship rout at Twickenham
England beat Japan 78–15 at Twickenham on Saturday in the Nations Championship, scoring 13 tries in their record score against Japan. Will Joseph, on his first Test start, scored five tries — equalling the England record — including a hat-trick inside the first 20 minutes. Japan lost lock Harry Hockings to a 20-minute red card in the opening minutes and scored through Warner Dearns and Opeti Helu.
Key points
- England 78–15 Japan at Twickenham — 13 tries and England's record score against Japan.
- Will Joseph scored five tries on his first Test start, equalling the England record; his hat-trick came inside 20 minutes.
- Japan lost lock Harry Hockings to a 20-minute red card in the opening minutes and trailed 49–10 at half-time.
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- England host New Zealand next Saturday; Japan go to Scotland.
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What happened
England made ten changes from the side that beat Australia a week earlier and still ran in eight first-half tries. Joseph, the Gloucester wing winning his second cap more than four years after his first, scored inside the opening minute and had four tries before the half-hour.
For Japan the match was a hard homecoming for head coach Eddie Jones, who led England for seven years before leaving in 2022. His side were a man down from the opening minutes and never recovered.
Match facts — all verified
- ✓ VerifiedEngland beat Japan 78–15 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday in Nations Championship Round 5, leading 49–10 at half-time and scoring 13 tries to Japan's two, before a crowd of 81,552.Sky Sports — England 78-15 Japan: Joseph scores five tries as hosts score 13 (14 Nov 2026; read in full) · Autumn Internationals — England v Japan match record, Nations Championship (14 Nov 2026) · SA Rugby Magazine — Five-try Joseph stars in England romp (14 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedWill Joseph scored five tries (1, 10, 20, 25 and 56 minutes) on his first Test start and second cap — equalling the England record and becoming only the fifth England player to score five tries in a Test, after Douglas Lambert, Rory Underwood, Josh Lewsey and Henry Arundell. His hat-trick inside 20 minutes was the quickest from the start of an England match, and he was named man of the match.Sky Sports — England 78-15 Japan (14 Nov 2026; read in full) · Rugby.com.au — Joseph scores five tries as England hammer Japan (14 Nov 2026) · SA Rugby Magazine — Five-try Joseph stars in England romp (14 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedEngland's other tries came from Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge, Cadan Murley, Ben Earl, George Martin, Ben Curry, Marcus Smith and Greg Fisilau, with George Ford adding a penalty and three conversions and Henry Slade two conversions. Japan's tries were scored by Warner Dearns and Opeti Helu, and lock Harry Hockings received a 20-minute red card in the opening minutes for a high tackle on Genge.Sky Sports — England 78-15 Japan, score summary (14 Nov 2026) · The Guardian's match report, via EuropeSays — Five-try Will Joseph equals record as England steamroller Japan (15 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedThe 78 points are England's highest score and record winning margin against Japan, surpassing the 60–7 win at the 1987 World Cup. It was a losing return to Twickenham for Japan's head coach Eddie Jones, who coached England for seven years. England next host New Zealand on Saturday 21 November; Japan travel to Scotland the same day.SA Rugby Magazine — Five-try Joseph stars in England romp (14 Nov 2026) · Sky Sports — England 78-15 Japan (14 Nov 2026; read in full)
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The result, the scorers and the half-time score are settled across the match record and the reports from Twickenham.
What we don't know yet
- Whether Joseph keeps his place against New Zealand — selection is announced later in the week.
- Any injury news from the match — none was reported in the sources read.