Test Match No. 98: New Zealand National Rugby Union Team's first visit to Japan, game 4

日本語 Photo Journal
1 November 1987 at National Stadium
●Japan 4-106 New Zealand○
Outclassed by the All Blacks with a score of 106 points!
 
Data:
01/11/87, 2nd Test
Japan 4 New Zealand XV 106
National Kasumigaoka Stadium, Tokyo
Half-time: 0-38
Referee: Kerry V. J. Fitzgerald (Australia)
Touch Judges: Noboru Mashimo (Japan), Hiroki Yagi (Japan)
Crowd: 40,000
 
JAPAN: 15 Shogo Mukai (21 Daijiro Murai 29), 14 Nohomuli Taumoefolau , 13 Eiji Kutsuki, 12 Kojiro Yoshinaga, 11 Minoru Okidoi, 10 Seiji Hirao, 9 Yoshimitsu Konishi, 8 Sinali Latu, 7 Katsufumi Miyamoto, 6 Yoshihiko Sakuraba, 5 Atsushi Oyagi, 4 Toshiyuki Hayashi (capt), 3 Masaharu Aizawa, 2 Tsuyoshi Fujita, 1 Toshitaka Kimura.
Reserves: 16 Koji Yasumi, 17 Tsutomu Hirose, 18 Seiji Kurihara, 19 Hisataka Ikuta, 20 Toshiro Yoshino.
Try: Okidoi.
 
NEW ZEALAND XV: 15 John Anthony Gallagher, 14 John James Patrick Kirwan, 13 Barnie Joseph McCahill, 12 Nesetorio John Schuster, 11 Terrence ('Terry') John Wright, 10 Grant James Fox, 9 Ian Bruce ('Diesel') Deans, 8 Wayne Thomas Shelford (capt), 7 Michael Robert Brewer, 6 Zinzan Valentine (originally Murray Zinzan) Brooke, 5 Gary William Whetton, 4 Brent Leslie Anderson, 3 Richard Wyllie Loe, 2 Sean Brian Thomas Fitzpatrick, 1 Steven Clark McDowell.
Reserves: 16 Matthew ('Matt') James Andrew Cooper, 17 Frano Michael Botica, 18 Graeme Thomas Miro ('Grim') Bachop, 19 Alan James Whetton, 20 Robbie John McLean, 21 John Andrew Sheperd Buchan.
Tries: Brooke (4), Kirwan (3), Deans (3), Shelford (2), Brewer (2), McDowell, Fitzpatrick, G. Whetton, Anderson, Loe; Conversions: Gallagher (15).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 3min-try NZ XV, Shelford; conv. Gallagher-0-6, 6min-try NZ XV, McDowell; conv. Gallagher-0-12, 12min-try NZ XV, Kirwan; conv. Gallagher (missed)-0-16, 21min-try NZ XV, Shelford; conv. Gallagher-0-22, 24min-try NZ XV, Kirwan; conv. Gallagher-0-28, 30min-try NZ XV, Fitzpatrick; conv. Gallagher-0-34, 37min-pen Japan, Okidoi (missed), 38min-try NZ XV, Brooke; conv. Gallagher-0-38, Half-time, 41min-try NZ XV, Deans; conv. Gallagher-0-44, 44min-try NZ XV, Brewer; conv. Gallagher-0-50, 47min-try Japan, Okidoi; conv. Hirao (missed)-4-50, 51min-try NZ XV G. Whetton; conv. Gallagher-4-56, 55min-try NZ XV, Deans; conv. Gallagher (missed)-4-60, 58min-try NZ XV Anderson; conv. Gallagher-4-66, 63min-try NZ XV Brooke; conv. Gallagher-4-72, 65min-try NZ XV Kirwan; conv. Gallagher-4-78, 69min-try NZ Loe; conv. Gallagher-4-84, 70min-try NZ XV Brooke; conv. Gallagher (missed)-4-88, 74min-try NZ XV Deans; conv. Gallagher-4-94, 77min-try NZ XV Brooke; conv. Gallagher-4-100, 79min-try NZ XV Brewer; conv. Gallagher-4-106.
 


New Zealand displayed what a real-world champion is supposed to be. It was like children playing against adults. Japan probably had possession of the ball for less than five minutes. Coach Hibino disappeared into the dressing room for over 30 minutes after the match. When he reappeared, the only words he had were “I have nothing to say. What you saw was everything.” In the 8th minute of the second half, Japan kicked a high punt and formed a ruck at 15 metres from the goal. They went for the left blindside, passed the ball to Kutsuki, then to Okidoi, and scored a long-awaited try. However, this try stimulated the opponent's pride. The All Blacks started to attack Japan as if they were in a quest for perfection. The forwards kept pushing ahead, and the backs made dashes taking the shortest way to the goal. No team has ever demonstrated the importance of the forwards for rugby as vividly as the All Blacks did today.