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• England must be 'brave on the ball' to halt winless run, says Borthwick

  England head coach Steve Borthwick has demanded his team to be "brave on the ball" when they take on Eddie Jones' Japan in the Autumn Nations Series on Sunday. 

  Borthwick's side have lost each of their last five matches, their longest such run since another five-game stretch between February and June 2018.

  However, they have not lost more in a row since a streak of seven in 2006. Each of the five losses in their current streak have also come in single-digit margins.

  But England have also struggled at home. They have fallen to defeat in their last three matches at the Allianz Stadium, their longest losing run since 2008. 

  Only once before have they lost more in a row at the Twickenham venue (L5 between 1971 and 1973), though Borthwick has urged his players to persist with an attacking style. 

  "We are trying to play the game a different way," he told BBC Sport.

  "I am encouraging the players to be brave with the ball, to move the ball, that’s where the strength of the team now is and where it is going to be in the future."

  Borthwick named his 23-man squad to face Japan on Friday, reinstating Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, nicknamed the "Kamikaze Kids" by Jones in 2019. 

  Curry has been recalled to the team after he was knocked out against Australia, and he replaces Chandler Cunningham-South in the back-row.

  In the other change from the starting XV that lost to South Africa, full-back George Furbank comes in for Freddie Steward.

  Fin Smith replaces George Ford on England's bench while Cunningham-South steps in for Alex Dombrandt. Sale's Opoku-Fordjour could also make his senior debut. 

  "We anticipate a tough challenge from a team that thrives on playing fast and with tempo," said Borthwick. 

  "Japan are a dangerous team, so it’s important that we execute our game plan and maintain focus throughout the full 80 minutes."

  England team to face Japan

  George Furbank, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.

  Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Nick Isiekwe, Chandler Cunningham-South, Harry Randall, Fin Smith, Tom Roebuck. 

• 'Playing for England is the Mecca' according to Itoje amid global breakaway talk

  Maro Itoje has reaffirmed his commitment to England amid talks of a proposed global breakaway league.

  Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to end their five-match losing run when they face Japan in their final match of the autumn series on Sunday.

  But there is fear that Borthwick could lose many of his players to the new league that reportedly are offering 40 £1m-a-season contracts for marquee players and more periods of rests for the players. 

  The Rugby Football Union (RFU) only select players for the national team from English clubs, meaning any player joining the breakaway league would jeopardise their Test career. 

  But Itoje has insisted that playing for England is the pinnacle for him and his teammates. 

  "I don't really know any of the details of it as yet, but wearing this rose is extremely important to me and my teammates," said Itoje.

  "Playing for England is the Mecca."

• Windies captain Powell takes mixed bag from England series as Bangladesh assignment approaches

  West Indies captain Rovman Powell was candid in his assessment of his team’s shortcomings following their 3-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series.

  Powell acknowledged the challenges the team faced in adapting to conditions early in the series but remained optimistic about their upcoming clashes with Bangladesh. This, as he believes, the Caribbean side once again showed glimpses of its potential throughout the series but were unable to consistently produce a complete performance.

  In fact, England’s decision to bowl first in the opening three matches—two at Kensington Oval in Barbados and one at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia—exposed the West Indies' struggles to navigate challenging conditions.

  They lost key wickets in quick succession during the powerplay in all three games, where they posted scores of 182-9, 158-8, and 145-8 and lost by eight wickets, seven wickets, and three wickets in that order.

  As such, Powell admitted the team’s inability to adapt cost them dearly. 

  “I think we always, as a batting group, have a template that we try to work with; unfortunately, the template didn’t work in our first few games. It took us about two or three games to really wonder what’s really happening to us as a batting group, and we also need to sharpen up on a few areas as a bowling group,” Powell said after the rain-affected final game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

  While he views their victory in the fourth T20I when they pulled off a historic chase of England’s 218-5, scoring 221-5 to secure a five-wicket win as light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that win was merely to salvage some pride.

  It is with that in mind that Powell highlighted the importance of quicker assessment and adaptability as key takeaways from the series. 

  “As a team, we need to assess a little bit faster. We didn’t play good cricket for long enough periods, and that made it a tough series. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Jos [Buttler] and his team; they really came in our conditions and dominated,” the Jamaican stated.

  Despite the loss, Powell, who was among the standout performers, finishing as the series’ second-highest run scorer with 153 runs, is determined to build on the positives from the England series as they shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.

  “The way we played the last (fourth game) showed that we can play really good cricket. If we had just assessed the conditions a little bit earlier in the series, it possibly would have been a different outcome. These are lessons to be learned,” Powell noted.