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The Eddie Jones latest as doubts cast on Japan boss' attendance

By PA
Eddie Jones of Japan looks on before the Autumn Nations Series 2025 match between France and Japan at Stade de France on November 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones put the finishing touches to Japan’s preparations for Sunday’s clash with England to allay concerns over his ability to attend the Allianz Stadium showdown.

Jones was forced to withdraw from his media duties on Friday due to a cold but the Australian was present at Twickenham a day later for his team’s final training session of the week.

The former England boss has been under scrutiny for his management style following the publication of allegations by Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care that he acted as a “tyrant” and “despot” during his seven years in charge.

Jones opened his second spell as Japan boss with a 52-17 defeat in Tokyo in June, but captain Naoto Saito insists his Brave Blossoms are now a more dangerous side.

“England are really dominant in the set-piece and under the high ball and I’m sure they will bring those threats against us,” Saito said.

“Of course we have counter measures for that and how we use those will be really important to our game. We’ve been focusing on ourselves.

“We started this campaign playing against England. We’ve gone 10 games deep now and are playing them away from home.

“We are really keen to show how much we have developed our attacking game.

“Against England’s fast line speed we really want to nail our accuracy in attack. That’s the part of the game that we would like to continue to develop.”