Nations Championship England v Japan: Chris Jones and the BBC commentary team take the mic, with ITV's Nick Mullins on hand

England v Japan is scheduled to take place at the Nations Championship on 14 November 2026, and commentary is being led across two of the biggest broadcasting platforms in the sport. On the BBC side, the mic is being run by Mark Chapman as presenter, with Chris Jones as the main commentator and Matt Dawson, Chris Ashton and Paul Grayson contributing as co-commentators. If you are tuning in, you can follow the audio across BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sounds app and BBC Sport Online.

The ITV side of the broadcast is fronted by Mark Pougatch as presenter, with Nick Mullins as the main commentator. He is joined by David Flatman as co-commentator, alongside pundits Maggie Alphonsi, Ugo Monye and reporter Topsy Ojo. The ITV feed runs across ITV 1, ITV HD, ITV X, STV Player and STV Scotland HD.

The BBC commentary team

For the BBC broadcast, Mark Chapman is on presenter duty. He is a well-established figure in the radio commentary world, ranking among the more frequently called names on BBC Radio 5 Live, and he provides the anchor for the whole team as the match plays out.

Leading the commentary is Chris Jones, who is by far the most prominent name in the BBC's commentator roster. He has been called on more occasions than almost anyone else, and he serves as the BBC's rugby union correspondent. He is well placed to steer the narrative through the match, drawing on his extensive track record to keep the commentary flowing and in focus.

The supporting team rounds out the picture. Matt Dawson is another name that features heavily on BBC Radio 5 Live, regularly called on to back up the main commentary and add his own reading of events. Chris Ashton appears less often but is a familiar contributor, while Paul Grayson rounds out the BBC team as another reliable supporting commentator.

The ITV commentary team

On the ITV side, Mark Pougatch takes the presenter role. He is a comparatively less frequently called name on the radio commentary charts, but he is perfectly suited to coordinating the ITV feed as the match runs. Nick Mullins leads the commentary, with David Flatman filling in as co-commentator to round out the core analysis.

The ITV broadcast also features a small group of supporting voices. Maggie Alphonsi and Ugo Monye are in as pundits, while Topsy Ojo is on reporter duties to capture the visual side of the match for the ITV audience.

Where to watch

For the BBC broadcast, tune into BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sounds app or BBC Sport Online for the audio commentary. For ITV, the feed is available across ITV 1, ITV HD, ITV X, STV Player and STV Scotland HD.

Both platforms are covering the Nations Championship in full, so whether you prefer the BBC's Chris Jones-led commentary or the ITV team behind Nick Mullins, you will be able to follow England v Japan from start to finish.

For background on the BBC's union commentary teams and the pundits behind them, you can read more at R Rugby World: the BBC's Six Nations pundits.

Article generated: 14 November 2026, 16:41 GMT