Japan player ratings vs England | Nations Championship 2026

Japan player ratings: The Brave Blossoms conceded one of their worst performances since Eddie Jones rejoined the side, getting trounced by England 78-15 at the Allianz Stadium.

Warner Dearns, Michael Stolberg and Jack Cornelsen were the only positives in an otherwise flat performance, with Japan still chasing their first win of the Nations Championship campaign.

1. Yota Kamimori – 3.5
The Brave Blossoms forward pack was mostly non-existent throughout the contest, with the scrum easily torn apart by England, and Yota Kamimori was no exception. Fumbled the ball once and conceded a penalty in a match where nothing went his way.

2. Mamoru Harada – 5
Japan’s lineout didn’t misfire, which was the only silver lining from Mamoru Harada’s performance, alongside a handful of strong tackles.

3. Shuhei Takeuchi – 3.5
Like his fellow front-rower Kamimori, Shuhei Takeuchi struggled against opponents who pressured the Japanese pack from the first whistle.

4. Harry Hockings – 2
Harry Hockings’ only involvement in tonight’s game was a red card for a shoulder-to-head tackle, which only made his side’s challenge even more daunting.

5. Warner Dearns – 6.5
One of the few to turn up in Twickenham. Forced his way through the hosts’ defence, striking from close range and giving his side some solace after a devastating opening 30 minutes. Gave his best trying to keep Japan’s defence together, but there was little to be done to avoid an England trouncing.

6. Ben Gunter – 5.5
Struggled for most of the contest, with most of his tackles not amounting to anything. Never found a way back into the game, and was eventually subbed off to make way for Jisu Lee.

7. Kanji Shimokawa – 6.5
Put in a slightly better performance than his blindside flanker, recording a successful jackal and a few good tackles. However, he was easily beaten in the scrum and at lineout exits, with the hosts’ pack effortlessly getting past Kanji Shimokawa.

8. Jack Cornelsen – 7
While Japan had to endure a disappointing evening, Jack Cornelsen deserves praise for his massive effort in trying to avoid his side’s demise. The experienced No. 8 would make a tackle and then immediately jump back into the line, trying to re-energise his side at every turn, despite the overall apathy. Ended up being Japan’s joint top tackler with 17 successful attempts.

9. Naoto Saito – 4
Nothing went Japan’s way, and not even Naoto Saito could turn things around. Although most of the scrum-half’s passes reached their intended targets, they were delivered too slowly, making it easier for England to turn the ball over at the breakdown, with Saito unable to shift the momentum in his team’s favour. The only saving grace was the five points kicked from the tee, missing only one of three attempts.

10. Riku Kitahara – 6
Saito’s inability to speed up the game could’ve tanked Riku Kitahara’s performance, but the 27-year-old still managed to string together more than a few good passages of play that could’ve become something more if his teammates had been on the same page.

11. Riku Tokito – 3
Was subbed off injured in the 27^th minute. Didn’t touch the pill once and was one of the players getting trampled by Ellis Genge.

12. Samisoni Tua – 4
It was not a positive outing for the centre pairing, with both Samisoni Tua and Dylan Riley unable to impose the physicality they are known for. Tua’s inability to chase down the English backline was concerning at times, as Cadan Murley, Will Joseph and Freddie Steward easily evaded the inside centre.

13. Dylan Riley – 4
With most expecting Dylan Riley to step up, the centre ended up getting outplayed by England, with the hosts successfully outpacing one of Japan’s best operators. Having already recorded a lacklustre performance, he was largely a non-factor against England, conceding four handling mistakes and missing the mark in three tackle attempts.

14. Kippei Ishida – 4
A few running metres and nothing much to highlight. With England completely overpowering Japan in the opening half, Japan’s outside backs were shut out of the game for the most part.

15. Kazuma Ueda – 4
Precarious is the best word to define Kazuma Ueda’s afternoon. The full-back conceded too many glaring mistakes trying to handle the opposition’s kicking strategy, and England made most of their chances count. While he recorded one of his side’s best performances against Wales, today was quite the opposite.

REPLACEMENTS – 8
While England never took their foot off the gas, Japan’s bench was clearly an upgrade on the starting line-up as the likes of Opeti Helu, Michael Stolberg and Tiennan Costley made an impact from the second they were brought on. Stolberg was particularly impressive, as the loose forward recorded a line break, 80 running metres, four successful fends and 11 tackles in under 65 minutes.