England will look to make it two wins from two at the Rugby World Cup when they face Japan in Group D in Nice on Sunday evening.

Steve Borthwick’s side showed plenty of fighting spirit in their opening match as they beat Argentina 27-10 despite playing with 14 men for 77 minutes of the clash.

Tom Curry’s sending-off derailed England’s gameplan, but George Ford kicked all 27 points to put England in control as they recorded a fine win.

Japan opened their account with a routine 42-12 success over Chile, but they will face a much sterner challenge this time around.

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England have won all three meetings between themselves and Japan, and they are 1/25 to win the fourth clash, coming up on Sunday in the RWC (Rugby World Cup).

They beat them 52-13 in their previous meeting at Twickenham last autumn, so it comes as no surprise to see Japan listed as the 11/1 outsiders while the tie is 28/1.

Team news

Borthwick welcomes back Billy Vunipola after he served his suspension, but the back-rower will start on the bench, with Lewis Ludlham handed the start at No.8.

In the front row, Dan Cole and Ellis Genge are replaced by Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler, while Ford’s performance last week should mean he keeps his spot ahead of Owen Farrell, who has served a suspension of his own.

Japan boss Jamie Joseph will start Shota Horie at hooker ahead of Atsushi Sakate, while Pieter Labuschagne will start in the second row in place of Kanji Shimokawa.

Captain Kazuki Himeno suffered an injury scare against Chile, but he is fit to feature against Borthwick’s side.

England -23 @ 10/11

England will fancy their chances of a second successive victory at the World Cup, with fly-half Ford saying his side need to “attack without fear or inhibition against Japan”.

While England’s opening win was impressive, all of their points came via Ford’s boot, so Borthwick’s team will look to showcase more of their attacking prowess.

Japan should struggle to contain England’s tactics, as Borthwick’s men are likely to play for set-pieces and try to win the arm wrestle.

During their win over Chile, Japan missed 27 tackles, and if they repeat that, England will take them apart in Nice.

2-way handicap betting; or 3-way, which includes the chance to bet on the handicap tie, are both available.

First-half handicap -9.5 @ 8/11

Borthwick and his team have had to absorb their fair share of criticism, and a fast start is vital to settle the nerves.

England arrived at the World Cup on a run of five defeats in six games, but they should not struggle to dictate the pace against a team of Japan’s calibre.

With Borthwick expecting an easier day at the office, his side may be allowed to play with more freedom, and that should mean Japan will struggle from the off.