Japan will not be welcoming the rugby world for another two years but the release of the 2019 match schedule highlights the unfamiliar challenge on the horizon. According to the much-travelled Eddie Jones this World Cup will differ from its predecessors and England’s head coach hopes his extensive local knowledge will assist his squad in the tournament.

Having lived and coached in Japan, Jones is well aware of the logistical issues prompted by England having to play their first two pool fixtures inside five days at venues almost 1,000 miles apart. Switching from Sapporo in the northern island of Hokkaido, where England kick off against Tonga on 22 September, to the southerly city of Kobe for the game against the United States, will be awkward preparation-wise and Jones has an alternative plan.

The Australian would prefer England to spend most of their time in one location and is seeking permission from the organisers for his squad to transfer to the match venues only a day or two in advance. “We will be asking if we can possibly stay in the same city and fly out from that city to the various grounds,” Jones said. “Japan is going to be fairly unique so I think they have to be quite flexible in the way you set up as a team there.”

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Between now and next month, when Jones and other staff members will make a further detailed recce, it will be interesting to see how many of England’s rivals make similar requests. At the last World Cup – not that it did them much good – England stayed in Bagshot for all but the last few days of their pool campaign. The All Blacks bounced around a range of locations and swept all before them.

In Jones’s eyes, however, anything that simplifies the multi-dimensional challenge in 2019 is to be encouraged. While he suggests England will have “no excuses” after a pool draw that builds neatly towards the key games against Argentina and France, he is certain the first Rugby World Cup in Asia will be a sizeable culture shock. “Japan’s not a rugby country, so everywhere you go, generally speaking, there aren’t rugby facilities,” he said. “You can see every team is clamouring to play over there. Australia are playing two Tests, New Zealand are playing at least one while Scotland and Wales have already decided on their training bases. It’s a bit like an arms race. Everyone is racing to get sufficient knowledge to maximise their opportunities there.”

Jones’s plan is for England to arrive just under a fortnight before the Tonga game, already knowing what to expect. Basing his team in Sapporo initially does not greatly appeal – “Sapporo is not a rugby city and it’s in the middle of nowhere” – but he likes the notion of playing the Pumas in Tokyo – “I used to live two train stations away and know it well” – followed by France in Yokohama, the venue for the final on 2 November.

“It gives us a chance to experience a ground we will potentially be playing at later in the tournament,” said Jones, a line which may amuse one or two of England’s oldest rivals.

If both England and New Zealand top their respective pools, they could conceivably meet in a semi-final in Yokohama but there is plenty of rugby to be played before that is remotely guaranteed. The All Blacks and South Africa are due to face each other on the opening weekend, when Ireland and Scotland will also collide.

The most welcome news, though, is the enhanced fixture matrix which hands every tier‑one nation at least one short turnaround, previously the fate of lowly minnows. Scotland will have three days to recover before their key final Pool C game against the host nation (who will have twice as long) but otherwise the spread is much improved.

Individually it remains an inexact science with certain players, as Jones points out, able to recover much faster than others. “Some guys love it. Guys like Owen Farrell and George Ford; they just think: ‘How good is this, playing rugby all the time.’ Some will struggle to back up two games but I want our best players playing all the time.”

As England’s injury issues this week have demonstrated that is not a situation even Jones can always control. The casualty list in Portugal has slightly eased, with all but Jonny May and Joe Launchbury potentially available to train on Friday, but a number of summer Lions are set to miss one or more of their side’s autumn Tests.

“They are badly de-conditioned in a lot of cases,” Jones said. “They’ve come off a tough Lions tour and had a short pre-season so they have missed a whole chunk of preparation time. On Saturday or Sunday the staff will sit down and assess what we do with each player: how many games they play, if they play. It’s all done completely individually.”

Another wing may be called up, with Jones declining to rule out Marland Yarde despite his acrimonious departure from Harlequins and Chris Robshaw’s less than complimentary verdict on his former team-mate. “I love players being honest,” Jones said. “What Robbo said about Marland won’t have any effect on his [Yarde’s] selection for England.”

Five talking points from the 2019 World Cup draw

1) Canada or Uruguay set to weep after tiers shortcuts

There are certainly examples of tier‑two nations having short turnarounds in 2019 but World Rugby has made a concerted effort to avoid any incidences where they come before playing a tier‑one opponent. Tonga have at least five days off throughout whereas Americas 2, either Canada or Uruguay, are already looking like cannon fodder. It at least means that some tier‑one sides have the novel experience of having only three days off between fixtures.

2) Japan welcome role reversal with Scotland

It will not have been lost on Scotland that they play their last pool match against the hosts, Japan – among the strongest tier‑two nations – on the back of three days off. Japan will have had seven days’ rest. In 2015 Japan faced Scotland three days after overcoming South Africa, enduring a defeat that denied them a place in the quarter-finals.

3) Plan ahead will be the watchwords for Australia

Australia, now in Yokohama preparing to face Japan, have perhaps done the best out of all the realistic contenders for the title. Their shortest turnaround is six days, perhaps benefiting from the fact there is justifiable demand to make the Wallabies prime time for Japanese audiences. The downside for them is a vast amount of travel. Their planning will have to be meticulous to maximise the benefits of their days off.

4) Curtain-raiser opponents not known till spring

As hosts, Japan were guaranteed to kick off the tournament but their opponents – Europe 1 – leave the curtain-raiser on the anti-climactic side at the moment. As it stands, it will be Romania but we will not know for sure until March – two months after tickets go on sale. It may go some way to explaining why New Zealand and South Africa are scheduled to meet a day later.

5) England pool campaign likely to be a slow burner

As Scotland’s match with Japan is at the end of their pool stage, it means their opening fixture – against Ireland – takes on added significance. England’s pool, however, is back-loaded. They finish against France, who are likely to pose the biggest threat, which means England’s campaign will likely be a slow burner until then. Tonga are, in one sense, a menacing challenge first up, though – the physios will be earning their corn after that one. Gerard Meagher