Match with Japan likely to leave England with more questions than answers

London –

England knows that even if it ends a run of five straight defeats by beating Japan at Twickenham on Sunday, doubts over the team’s ability to tame major teams will remain.

The team’s final game of 2024 follows England’s trio of November losses at home to New Zealand, Australia and world champions South Africa — the first time they have suffered three setbacks in a row at Twickenham since 2006.

Steve Borthwick’s men have had their chances in each of these contests against the southern hemisphere’s big three, but have instead gone down 24-22 to the All Blacks, 42-37 to the Wallabies and 29-20 to the Springboks.