"Clumsy late challenge" - Four England players Steve Borthwich should drop and who should replace them

At halftime, England was in the lead 13-9, thanks to an early try by Lewis Ludlam and George Ford's accurate kicking, earning him the title of Mastercard Player of the Match.

Japan's fly-half, Rikiya Matsuda, added his fourth penalty shortly after halftime, narrowing the gap to just one point. However, Courtney Lawes responded with England's second try, benefitting from a fortunate bounce off prop Joe Marler's head.

Freddie Steward capitalized on George Ford's precise cross-field kick, scoring in the corner, while Joe Marchant secured the bonus-point try in the final play of the game, securing England's second victory at Rugby World Cup 2023.

Now, let's assess four players who had a disappointing performance during the match.

Express 5/10: "Clumsy late challenge on Lemeki handed Rikiya Matsuda a simple penalty and added to the self-inflicted pressure on England."

Mail Online 4/10: "Did not touch the ball in the first 40 minutes and conceded a penalty for a late hit that gifted territory to Japan."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Not a game for wingers. When is it ever in the Borthwick era? Didn’t feature in the opening half apart from a leap to cover a Japan cross kick that went into touch and then a late clip on a clearing kicker that gave the opposition a scored penalty from where the ball landed. "

The Guardian 5/10: "Didn’t touch the ball in the first half, though gave a needless penalty away, but more involved in second. Is in the side to chase kicks."

Replacement: Henry Arundell

Express 4/10: "Error-prone night for the squad bolter who looked unsure which way to turn at times. Kicked terribly."

Rugby Pass 6/10: "Impressive against Argentina when he brought unpredictability to the proceedings, he was way more measured here and it was his 50th-minute kicking away of possession that rankled with the booing crowd."

Mail Online 4/10: "Kicked away a lot of possession and failed to inject the tempo to break up Japan’s defensive structure. Poor day at the office."

Replacement: Danny Care

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Took an age for him to feature with England’s attack offering crumbs and Japan’s flexible approach when they were in possession avoiding his channel. Gave way on 69 for Ollie Lawrence."

The Guardian 5/10: "Made a couple of dents as the first half wore on but always likely to be on the periphery when the ball is kicked to the skies so much."

Mail Online 5/10: "Hitting hard lines on line-out starter plays but breakdown in communication with Ford resulted in turnovers and lost territory."

Replacement: Ollie Lawrence

Express 5/10: "Handling suspect and kicked too often when England had decent possession but one nice flick to Alex Mitchell."

Mail Online 4.5/10: " Dominant in his aerial battles but strategy to pin Japan back in coffin corner with grubber kicks often resulted in lost possession."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Obviously used as another kicking option in that England backline and it was done well at times, but he certainly overdid it."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Cagey start which featured getting a hospital pass from Ford that saw him bundled into touch. Then spilled possession with an England attack entering the 22 and was rarely noticed afterwards."

Replacement: Max Malins