The 64-year-old coach saw his Japan side lose in his former club's first victory after three recent defeats and while he acknowledged England are going through a "sticky patch", he also believes there's a lot to be positive about.

He told Telegraph Sport: “It’s one of those difficult periods [for England]. The team is obviously going through a transition. There are some good young players coming through.

“Chandler Cunningham-South is a good player, Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck are coming through. Ollie Lawrence is getting some consistency in his play. They’re in a sticky period where you might play against a good team and lose by one or two points.

“Today, they gave a lesson in pressure rugby. Every time they got on the front foot, they put the ball in behind and chased. We got suffocated today. Knowing Steve, that is the way he will want them to play.”

Eddie may have seen Japan lose but believes there were benefits his inexperienced side could take from the game, citing the progress England's Marcus Smith has made in the last few years.

He said: “It’s just time and lessons like this. When you’ve got 200 caps [in total], it means most players have played 10 Tests or less. You don’t have that collective adaptation.

“I look at Marcus today, having brought him in myself [with England] when he was young. Now he’s so confident in his decision-making. He’s composed, and he still has that bit of electricity. That’s what you get from playing 40 Tests.

“Because we [Japan] want to play differently, and faster, it puts more pressure on your skills. We’ve got to stick to it, there’s no magic solution.”