![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/england-must-avoid-making-same-mistakes-against-japan-as-black-hole-game-in-2018/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TELEMMGLPICT000315648819_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq1TJOa7BZ2Re4vzncv8bVrz1ncUTIYJ9-bADuoj2TcAY.jpeg&description=England will go into Saturday's Test against Japan aware that their places in the side are far from guaranteed based on the outcome of their game against the Brave Blossoms at Twickenham four years ago, in what proved to be the final Test of some players' careers and led to multi-year exiles for more. Late tries from Joe Cokanasiga and Dylan Hartley propelled England to a 35-15 win in 2018 but Eddie Jones' side notably struggled for large patches, with the match referred to by players as the 'black hole' game given it spelled the end of a number of Test careers. Alex Lozowski and Zach Mercer have not been selected by England since, while others including Alec Hepburn and Richard Wigglesworth were not picked again following the end of that autumn campaign. Danny Care and Ted Hill were both omitted for years until their respective returns this summer in Australia and last year against the USA. It was also Jack Nowell's first and only start at 13 for England, playing alongside Lozowski in midfield. "Maybe some of the players who got the nod maybe didn't give the game the respect it deserved, or maybe us as a team didn't," Nowell admitted on Tuesday. "A few boys got a few bits wrong. I was involved in that game as well playing a different position. "Learning from those lessons from four years ago, we're not going to go into this game with the same sort of thing. It's very much a massive game, a massive step for us as a team now to add on from last week. "Very much during that week we were saying the right things, we just didn't do it on the field so I'm not too sure why that was at the time. It's different. We're treating this as a proper Test match for us and obviously a reaction from the Argentina game as well last week." Mako Vunipola, who was not part of the squad that day, added that omission of certain players by Jones following that game was a reminder to the squad to not take their places for granted, particularly with his Saracens team-mate Lozowski. "It's toug){kind=link}
Eddie Jones’ side struggled against the Brave Blossoms four years ago in a game which spelled the end of a number of Test careers
England will go into Saturday’s Test against Japan aware that their places in the side are far from guaranteed based on the outcome of their game against the Brave Blossoms at Twickenham four years ago, in what proved to be the final Test of some players’ careers and led to multi-year exiles for more.
Late tries from Joe Cokanasiga and Dylan Hartley propelled England to a 35-15 win in 2018 but Eddie Jones’ side notably struggled for large patches, with the match referred to by players as the ‘black hole’ game given it spelled the end of a number of Test careers.
Alex Lozowski and Zach Mercer have not been selected by England since, while others including Alec Hepburn and Richard Wigglesworth were not picked again following the end of that autumn campaign. Danny Care and Ted Hill were both omitted for years until their respective returns this summer in Australia and last year against the USA.
It was also Jack Nowell’s first and only start at 13 for England, playing alongside Lozowski in midfield.