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England boss Eddie Jones relishing Japan reunion in World Cup pool

:Headline: England boss Eddie Jones relishing Japan reunion in World Cup pool: ID:426548: from db_amp
Japan prospered under Eddie Jones, propelling him into the top echelon of international coaches.

Eddie Jones is ready to write another chapter in his eventual World Cup story with Japan after his intuition that England would be drawn to face the Brave Blossoms proved correct.

Destiny has placed Jones on a collision course with the side he coached to the greatest upset in rugby history when South Africa were toppled 34-32 in Brighton five years ago.

Now at the helm of England, Jones will face the team whose success under his guidance propelled him back into the top echelon of international coaches after his Six Nations champions were placed in Pool D of the 2023 World Cup alongside Japan and Argentina.

As the draw was taking place in Paris, Jones was on holiday in Tokyo where news of the collision course was greeted enthusiastically.

"I had this strong gut feeling that we were going to get Japan and I wasn't disappointed," Jones said.

"I think my wife has already bought a half-English, half-Japanese shirt. I will do some work on her over the next two years to make sure she has got the right shirt on.

"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.

"I have already got a number of texts from Japanese friends saying how excited they are about the game.

"The younger players in Japan believe they can beat teams from around the world and given the support of the national clubs to support the national team, there is no reason why they won't keep improving."

Jones described Pool D as the most compelling of the groups drawn for France 2023, Japan's thrilling play augmented by the passion and physicality of Argentina. Canada and Tonga are likely to completed the line-up.

The World Cup is still three years away, but for the moment England are Europe's dominant force after winning the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup, while in the process compiling an eight-Test triumphant run.

"We won the Six Nations twice, albeit the Nations Cup was in a different form, and that's a fair achievement in itself," said Jones.

Jones awarded England's 2020 a 10 out of 10 despite their recent emphasis on defence and kicking winning few new fans.

"Everyone can criticise the way we played but at the end of the day, winning the two trophies was the objective. The only currency we have is winning, as you well know," he said.

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