# Pollock Handed No. 8 Start as Injury-Hit England Reshuffle for Japan Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com) Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/rugby/pollock-handed-no-8-start-as-injury-hit-england-reshuffle-for-japan-2026-11-12-m Language: en Published: 2026-11-12T03:08:22.104+00:00 Updated: 2026-11-12T03:08:22.148372+00:00 > Henry Pollock is set to start at No. 8 against Japan in only his second Test start. ## TL;DR - Henry Pollock is set to start at No. 8 against Japan in only his second Test start. - Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is out for the autumn with an ankle injury, and Tom Curry is also out. - Max Ojomoh is expected to start at inside centre and Will Joseph earns a maiden Test start. - England face Japan at Twickenham on Saturday, 14 November, at 4.40pm. ## Key points - Henry Pollock is set to start at No. 8 against Japan in only his second Test start. - Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is out for the autumn with an ankle injury, and Tom Curry is also out. - Max Ojomoh is expected to start at inside centre and Will Joseph earns a maiden Test start. - England face Japan at Twickenham on Saturday, 14 November, at 4.40pm. ## Pollock gets his chance in the back row Henry Pollock will make only his second Test start on Saturday, and it will come in the position England believe is his true home. The 21-year-old Northampton Saints back rower is set to start at No. 8 against Japan at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, after his two-try cameo from the wing turned England's 45-22 Nations Championship win over Australia into a personal showcase. The Times reported on Wednesday night that Pollock, Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph will all be drafted into the starting side, with head coach Steve Borthwick expected to confirm the team on Thursday lunchtime. For Pollock, it will be his 15th cap, and his first start in the back row since breaking into the senior side. Pollock replaced the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at half-time against the Wallabies on Sunday and scored twice in two minutes. Borthwick has been careful not to rush the youngster, but this week has made the decision almost inevitable. Ben Curry, who started at openside flanker against Australia in his first Test since July 2025, is being managed carefully after a long-term hamstring injury, and Borthwick has said it is unlikely he will start the Sale flanker two weeks running. "I think he might be needed in the back row," Borthwick said of Pollock, making clear that the wing experiment, thrilling as it was, is not the plan for Japan. ## An injury list that forced Borthwick's hand The reshuffle is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Feyi-Waboso, England's most dangerous attacking weapon, has been ruled out for the rest of the autumn with the ankle injury he suffered in the first half against Australia. The 23-year-old Exeter winger was hurt in a tackle from Wallabies prop Angus Bell, who was shown a yellow card for a hip-drop tackle, and he played on until the interval before being withdrawn. He will miss the Japan and New Zealand Tests and the Nations Championship finals weekend, a cruel blow for a player limited to 17 caps since his debut in the 2024 Six Nations by shoulder, hamstring and concussion problems. ![England Under-20s in action against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794452877146-ixd2wv-rugby-inside1-2026-11-12-morning.jpg) Tom Curry is also out for the remainder of the autumn after aggravating a long-standing hip problem in training last week. Seb Atkinson, who started at inside centre against Australia, is out with a hip-pointer issue, while Ollie Chessum and George Furbank are sidelined with shoulder and groin injuries. All three are hoped to be fit for the visit of New Zealand on 21 November, but none will face Japan. The medical bulletin robs England of four starters from the side that beat the Wallabies, and it has opened doors that might otherwise have stayed shut until next year. ## Ojomoh and Joseph seize their moment The biggest beneficiary in the backs is Max Ojomoh. The Bath centre is expected to start at inside centre after what Borthwick called a "standout" performance for England A against an Argentina XV at the Recreation Ground last Friday. Ojomoh won a straight selection contest with Fraser Dingwall after Atkinson's injury, and his direct running gives England a different kind of threat in midfield. At 24, he has waited patiently behind more established names; Saturday is his chance to show the clamour for his inclusion was justified. Will Joseph's story is different again. The Gloucester back, normally a centre, is set to start on the wing for what will be his maiden Test start, more than four years after making his international debut. Joseph has shown his versatility for Gloucester this season, covering both midfield and the back three, and Borthwick values that flexibility in a week when the back line has been hit so hard. ## A World Cup audition, not a gentle run-out Borthwick has been at pains to insist this is not a weakened side picked to please the crowd, even if supporters will love seeing Pollock given a full run in his preferred position. At the start of this block he said he already had the "high twenties" of his 33-man World Cup squad pencilled in, leaving only a handful of places genuinely up for grabs. With only eight more Tests until that squad is settled, Saturday is an audition as much as a match. Pollock must show he can dominate a Test from the start and last 80 minutes, not just change a game in 20. ![Twickenham Stadium, home of England rugby](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794452896049-h4wts1-rugby-inside2-2026-11-12-morning.jpg) Japan, coached by Eddie Jones, Borthwick's predecessor with England, will arrive at Twickenham smarting from their 28-21 defeat by Wales in Cardiff last Saturday. The Brave Blossoms pushed Wales hard and will fancy their chances against an England side forced into at least four changes. The near sell-out crowd, with only a few hundred of the 82,000 seats remaining and junior tickets at 15 pounds, will expect a performance to match the occasion. ## What Saturday will tell us England sit second in the northern hemisphere section of the Nations Championship after their opening win, and a bonus-point victory over Japan would keep them firmly in the hunt before the All Blacks arrive. Yet the real judgement will fall on the three men handed their chance. If Pollock runs the game from No. 8, if Ojomoh carries hard through the middle, and if Joseph looks at home on the wing, Borthwick will have learned something precious about the depth of his squad. If they struggle, he will know the gap between his first choice and his second remains wide. Either way, Saturday at Twickenham will be far more than a gentle run-out against Japan. Mentions: Henry Pollock, England, Japan, Steve Borthwick, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Max Ojomoh, Will Joseph, Tom Curry, Seb Atkinson, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Nations Championship, Eddie Jones, Northampton Saints, Bath, Gloucester, Australia, New Zealand, Fraser Dingwall, Ben Curry ## Sources - [thetimes.com](https://www.thetimes.com/sport/rugby-union/article/henry-pollock-max-ojomoh-england-rugby-team-japan-steve-borthwick-c2d5q3tlg) - [planetrugby.com](https://www.planetrugby.com/news/england-devastating-extent-of-immanuel-feyi-wabosos-injury-confirmed-as-squad-named-ahead-of-japan-clash) - [tntsports.co.uk](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/rugby/nations-championship/2026/immanuel-feyi-waboso-injury-ankle-england-australia-steve-borthwick-new-zealand-japan_sto23353895/story.shtml) - [thetimes.com](https://www.thetimes.com/sport/rugby-union/article/steve-borthwick-picks-team-fans-want-but-they-must-stake-world-cup-claim-sw30b6t08)