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• Japan beat Samoa as England’s World Cup progress confirmed

  England qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup after Japan saw off 14-man Samoa 28-22 in Toulouse to keep alive their own hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.

  The Brave Blossoms go on to face Argentina in the final round of Pool D matches – and only one of them will join Steve Borthwick’s side, who are confirmed as group winners ahead of their clash with Samoa due to their superior head-to-head record, in the knockout phase.

  Japan, who reached the last eight for the first time four years ago as hosts, opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Pieter Labuschagne stretched over in the corner and Rikiya Matsuda converted.

  A penalty from D’Angelo Leuila got Samoa, without captain Chris Vui through a late change, on the board, but Matsuda’s kick soon restored Japan’s advantage.

  Michael Leitch added another try in the corner before Samoa’s Jonathan Taumateine was sent to the sin bin after a shoulder barge in the build-up.

  Japan hooker Shota Horie was then shown a yellow card for making head-on-head contact as he stood up in a challenge with Seilala Lam, which went to the TMO for a bunker review but was not upgraded.

  Samoa – whose final pool match with England is in Lille on October 7 – made the most of their man advantage, Lam touching down following a driving maul to go into the break trailing 17-8.

  Samoa soon found themselves a man down when Ben Lam was sent to the sin bin after the TMO spotted a high tackle into the side of Labuschagne’s head.

  Japan extended their lead as Kazuki Himeno was driven over in the corner, but the usually reliable Matsuda failed to convert.

  Things then got worse for Samoa when Lam’s card was upgraded to a red before Matsuda again found his range to push Japan further in front at 25-8.

  Kotaro Matsushima sprinted clear for what Japan thought was a bonus-point try, but it was ruled out for the slightest of knock-ons from Dylan Riley in the build-up.

  Samoa, though, kept themselves in touch as Duncan Paia’aua went over in the corner, which Leuila converted from a tight angle only for fly-half Matsuda to push Japan clear again with another long-range penalty.

  The 14 men battled on and pulled the deficit back again when Christian Leali’ifano dived over and then converted his own try, but Japan held out to set up a potential winner-takes-all showdown with Argentina in Nantes.

• I’m never happy – Kevin Sinfield not getting carried away with England’s defence

  England’s defence may have turned a corner since arriving at the World Cup but Kevin Sinfield is still refusing to smile.

  Steve Borthwick’s team are expected to win Pool D at a canter, in part thanks to a defence that has leaked just one try in three matches.

  Even that solitary touch down was conceded late in the opener against Argentina when England played all but three minutes with 14 men following Tom Curry’s red card for a dangerous tackle.

  It is a far cry from Borthwick’s first nine Tests in charge when the line was breached 30 times.

  Sinfield, who oversees the defence, is satisfied with the progress made, but with greater challenges lying ahead in the World Cup, he wants more from his players.

  “I’m never happy, I’m never happy. Across the board we’ve made some improvements and taken some steps forward, but there’s plenty to come from this team,” Sinfield said.

  “My job is to be never happy and to keep pushing for more, but I see a group who want to get better and we are starting to see some pride in our defence. The zero against Chile was important for us and our mentality.

  “I’m more pleased than I was, but I don’t want the players to do it for me, I want them to do it for each other and the people back home.

  “The way they’ve gone about their business in the last three games in particular says a lot about the group.”

  England’s next assignment is against Samoa and after a torrid warm-up campaign that produced three defeats in four Tests, Sinfield insists there is no appetite to halt their victorious run.

  “We are here to win. We tasted enough disappointment and enough poor performances throughout August,” the Leeds Rhinos rugby league great said.

  “We have tasted that and so we want to put our best foot forward against Samoa. We owe it to each other, to people back home and the supporters who have come here and been fantastic so far.

  “We owe it to everyone involved that we throw everything at Samoa and we give it our best shot. We are very respectful of them, they are a great rugby nation and a fantastic country.

  “There have been some very good games between the two nations in the past and we are looking forward to next Saturday.”

• Gregor Townsend calls on his Scotland stand-ins to seize chance in Romania clash

  Gregor Townsend has called on his Scotland stand-ins to seize their chance to impress against Romania on Saturday and play their way into contention for involvement in what is shaping up to be a box-office showdown with Ireland.

  The head coach has made 13 changes to his starting XV for the must-win match against the Pool B minnows in Lille this weekend, preserving several big guns including Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Jack Dempsey, Zander Fagerson and Sione Tuipulotu for a Paris meeting with the Irish that is likely to decide whether the Scots progress to the quarter-finals.

  Javan Sebastian – with six caps as a substitute – will make his first start for Scotland, and the recently-recruited Edinburgh prop will be joined in the XV by his new club-mates Luke Crosbie, Hamish Watson and Ben Healy, who are also getting their first game time of this World Cup.

  Lock Grant Gilchrist will captain the side in the absence of Jamie Ritchie, who is still on track to return against Ireland as he progresses through his return-to-play protocols after suffering a head knock against Tonga last weekend.
  
  Townsend said that this weekend’s match is “absolutely” an opportunity for players to secure a spot in the 23 for the Ireland match.

  “It’s hard when you’re training to show what you can do at the World Cup,” he said. “We put a lot on what players have done for us in the past and players have been training well, so we know they are in really good physical shape.
  
  “But the best way to influence selection is to play well. The performance against Tonga was an improvement on South Africa and we’re looking to get better than we were against Tonga. This group have the opportunity to do that now.

  “Saturday will be hugely influential. We’ve gone with a similar team now for four or five games. There have been one or two changes here or there, but within that the core of that group have played since the France home game (in early August).

  “But the other players have an opportunity and they know this is the final opportunity they will get before we play Ireland.

  “The decisions before South Africa, before Tonga, and going back to before the France home and away games, were tight already in a few positions, so if players play well it will be a much longer selection meeting on Monday night, I’m sure.”

  Townsend feels Wales-born prop Sebastian, 29, has earned his first start after making a big impact on the squad since his debut two years ago.

  “I think he’s probably been our most improved player throughout our summer camp,” said the head coach. “He’s worked really hard to get himself in a position where he can contribute physically outside of the scrum and he’s shown that in training.

  “He’s actually won ‘trainer of the week’, or ‘mav (maverick) of the week’ as we call it. That’s something that’s voted for by the players and they’ve been really impressed by what he’s done in training.

  “I felt the way he played against France in Saint-Etienne (as a replacement in August), both in the tight and the loose, showed that he was a player that’s got skills and can move well. He’s a very good rugby player. But the most important thing is his fitness. He’s the fittest he’s ever been.”

  Romania have been annihilated in their first two pool games, losing 76-0 to Ireland and 82-8 against South Africa. Townsend is unfazed by the expectation on his side from outside the camp to deliver a similarly emphatic win.

  “There’s always pressure or expectation when you play for Scotland,” he said. “You know you’re going to have to play your best rugby, that’s what that jersey demands of you.

  “It will be a different game to what most of these players are used to. It’s not a Six Nations game and there will be a different way of defending.

  “Sometimes we will have a lot of ball, and sometimes we will make mistakes because it’s the first time this team has gone out together, so the important thing is focusing on each moment and us playing as a team, and doing the work off the ball. Get that bit right and our game should flow much more on the back of that.”

  Townsend revealed he has had discussions with World Rugby since his strong condemnation of the decision not to show a red card to Tonga’s Afusipa Taumoepeau for a dangerous high tackle on Ritchie last Sunday, a fortnight after he had been similarly critical of the decision not to send off South Africa’s Jesse Kriel for head-on-head contact with Dempsey.

  “Yes, and I’m happy with the feedback process,” he said. “Obviously, I was very frustrated and disappointed with the actions at the time, and it wasn’t the only time I’ve experienced that in this World Cup, but you’ve got to move on from it.

  “We’ve spoken to the officials of World Rugby around it and those are private discussions.”