Eddie Jones expected England vs Japan Rugby World Cup draw in sign of how tier two teams are closing in

Eddie Jones had a feeling that his England side would be placed alongside former team Japan, he said after the two nations were drawn together for the 2023 Rugby World Cup for the first time.

The two sides will be joined by Argentina and two qualifiers from Oceania and Europe respectively in the pool stage for France 2023 following Monday’s draw, 1,000 days before the curtain rises on the 10th men’s World Cup.

It will not be first time that Jones has faced the team that he took to the 2015 World Cup and their famous victory over South Africa, having steered England to stumbling victory over the Blossoms three years ago, but it will be the first time that the two nations have met on the biggest stage where the presence of a resurgent Pumas side places an even greater performance on the match.

Although England avoided a worst-case scenario by steering clear of tournament hosts France in the second pot, Argentina were among the more difficult teams they could have faced in the third tier. But for Jones, there was a sense of things to come as he watched on from Japan, having travelled to Asia with his wife following the conclusion of England’s Autumn Nations Cup campaign.

“Nothing’s really changed but I had this strong gut feeling that we were going to get Japan and I wasn’t disappointed,” Jones said after the draw.

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup 2023 draw confirmed

“The Japanese will be good fun because they will be desperate to beat us and it will be interesting - I think they’re already buying tickets here for that game already.

“They will be so excited. I have already got a number of texts from Japanese friends saying how excited they are about the game. It is wonderful to see Japan in such a prominent place in world rugby and it gives that opportunity for what other teams can do.

“Jamie (Joseph, Japan coach) doesn’t need any of my emotion, he’s doing a great job with them. I’m pleased they’re doing well. It was great watching the highlights of the World Cup and seeing the number of edits on Japan triumphs at the World Cup. It’s going to be a tough game because they play the game differently. We don’t get many chances to play against teams like Japan so we’re going to have to be really well prepared.”

One of Samoa or Tonga, and the United States or Canada, will join the three teams in Pool B, but England’s clash with Japan is likely to draw the biggest attention when the World Cup comes around in little under three years’ time due to what they achieved on home soil last year.

Japan beat both Ireland and Scotland - who were yesterday placed alongside reigning world champions South Africa in a nightmare Pool B draw - to announce their arrival as a rugby force to be reckoned with, and along with Fiji they are knocking on the door of the sport’s elite for a greater inclusion in annual tournaments.

Having been at the forefront of Japan’s rise while in charge of the national team between 2012 and 2015 before current head coach Jamie Joseph continued their progression, Jones believes it is proof that the gap between the so-called ‘tier one’ and ‘tier two’ nations is reducing.

“You can see all the pools are tough pools. They are all getting much closer,” he said. “Before you could say that these two teams are going to be the quarter-final teams and now because of the growing globalisation of the sport of rugby, the gap between tier one and tier two is getting smaller and the likelihood of upsets is much greater. It is all poised for a very exciting World Cup.”

England end the year ranked No 2 in the world rankings behind the Springboks, the side who defeated them in last year’s Rugby World Cup final, having won the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup in what proved a dominant year. That said, they still fielded criticism for a lack of adventure and cutting edge in their attack, but Jones believes the benefit of winning a cut-throat final will come to serve them well much more than any advancement they could make with how they develop their style.

“We had nine new caps in 2020, so that’s a good progression for us,” Jones added. “And we are going through a rebuilding phase at the moment. We have had a fairly mature side for the last four seasons, and the Lions will help us evolve the side.

“Those young guys have got to keep working hard. You know, sometimes in England they can get too far ahead of themselves, too quickly, so we have got to make sure they keep working hard, keep making sure they become a better player and then we’ll have great competition. And the side we have for 2023, we don’t know what form that will take.”

Rugby World Cup 2023 draw

Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Americas 1, Africa 1

Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Asia/Pacific 1, Europe 2

Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Europe 1, Final qualifier winner

Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Oceania 1, Americas 2