Test Match No. 142: the 3rd Pacific Rim Championship, game 1

日本語 Photo Journal
3 May 1998 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium
●Japan 22-30 Canada○
Lost a close game to Canada who came from behind again
 
Data:
03/05/98, the 3rd Pacific Rim Championship
Japan 22 Canada 30
Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground, Tokyo
Half-time: 3-6
Referee: Jerry Mclemore (U.S.A.)
Touch Judges: 1st Nobuaki Tanaka (Japan), 2nd Shinsuke Shimoi (Japan), 3rd Hideomi Miyahara (Kanto)
Crowd: 9,000
 
JAPAN: 15 Stephen Miln, 14 Terunori Masuho, 13 Andrew McCormick (capt), 12 Yukio Motoki, 11 Patiliai Tuidraki, 10 Kensuke Iwabuchi, 9 Masami Horikoshi, 8 Ross Thompson (20 Hiroyuki Tamuma 77), 7 Greg Smith, 6 Yasunori Watanabe (19 Takeomi Ito 57), 5 Robert Gordon, 4 Yoshihiko Sakuraba, 3 Naoto Nakamura, 2 Masahiro Kunda, 1 Shin Hasegawa.
Reserves: 16 Osami Yatsuhashi, 17 Katsuji Ohara, 18, 21 Kazu Hamabe, 22 Masaaki Sakata.
Tries: Kunda, Motoki, Smith; Conversions: Miln (2); Penalty Goal: Masuho.
 
CANADA: 15 Joe Pagano, 14 Barry Ebl, 13 Jason Hall, 12 Kyle Nicholas, 11 Courtney Smith, 10 Bob Ross (capt), 9 John Graf, 8 Ian Gordon, 7 Danny Baugh, 6 John Hutchinson, 5 Glen Enis, 4 Chris Whittaker, 3 Harry Toews, 2 Pat Dunkley, 1 Eddie Evans (22 Brian McCarthy 74).
Reserves: 16 Ed Fairhurst, 17 Troy McDonald, 18 Roger Robinson, 19 Rob Robson, 20 Anthony Healey, 21 Adam Marshall.
Tries: Nichols (2), Ross; Conversions: Ross (3); Penalty Goals: Ross (3).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 4min-pen Canada, Ross-0-3, 13min-pen pen Japan, Miln (missed), 16min-pen Canada, Ross-0-6, 24min-pen Japan, Masuho-3-6, 31-min pen Canada, Ross (missed), Half-time, 40min-pen Canada, Ross-3-9, 44min-pen pen Japan, Miln (missed), 50min-try Japan, Kunda; conv. Miln (missed)-8-9, 51min-try Canada, Nichols; conv. Ross-8-16, 62min-try Japan, Motoki; conv. Miln-15-16, 66-min pen Canada, Ross (missed), 72min-try Japan, Smith; conv. Miln-22-16, 77min-try Canada, Ross; conv. Ross-22-23, 80min-try Canada, Nichols; conv. Ross-22-30.
 


Japan picked McCormick as the new captain. He is also the first non-Japanese captain. McCormick, a star of Toshiba Fuchu Rugby Team, has a proven track record. He is passionate and his good personality has won the trust of coaches as well as players. It is disappointing that their fresh start ended in a loss, but it was a close, satisfactory game in which the team scored three tries. A game like this is satisfactory. Japan was trailing Canada 3-6 in the first half. In the second half, Thompson and Motoki scored a try each in the 10th and 22nd minute, and Smith attacked the scrum side and Smith scored another in the 33rd to turn the game around. However, they missed opportunities with mistakes and interception, and let Canada come from behind again. The new captain McCormick told the team to “keep attacking aggressively”, but that hasn't sunk into the team yet.