Test Match No. 171: Wales' second visit to Japan, game 3

日本語 Photo Journal
10 June 2001 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium
●Japan 10-64 Wales○
Japan was knocked out in the first half
 
Data:
10/06/2001, 1st Test
Japan 10 Wales 64
Hanazono Rugby Grounds, Osaka
Half-time: 0-52
Referee: Rob Dickson (Scotland)
Touch Judges: 1st Kelvin Deaker (Nea Zealand), 2nd Andrew Cole (Australia), 3rd Hideomi Miyahara (Kanto), 4th Taizo Hirabayashi
Crowd: 23,000
 
JAPAN: 15 Tsutomu Matsuda (21 Kensuke Iwabuchi 15), 14 Toru Kurihara, 13 Yukio Motoki, 12 Nataniela Oto, 11 Patiliai Tuidraki (17 Akihito Kato temp-bs 83-full time), 10 Shotaro Onishi (22 Hideki Nanba 67), 9 Wataru Murata (20 Yuji Sonoda 67), 8 Yuya Saito, 7 Hiroshi Sugawara (18 Eiji Yamamoto 63), 6 Takeomi Ito (19 Koichi Kubo temp-bs 83-full time), 5 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 4 Luatangi Vatuvei, 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 2 Masaaki Sakata (capt), 1 Shin Hasegawa.
Reserve: 16 Ryo Yamamura.
Tries: Vatuvei, Ito.
 
WALES: 15 Kevin Morgan (21 Gavin Henson 60), 14 Mark Jones, 13 Gareth Thomas (22 Jamie Robinson 75), 12 Adrian Durston, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 8 Geraint Lewis, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Andrew Lloyd (19 Jamie Ringer temp 2nd Half 40), 5 Andrew Moore (capt) (18 Nathan Budgett 39), Craig Quinnell, 3 Chris Anthony (17 Ben Enavs 68), 2 Andrew Lewis (16 Steven Jones 67), 1 Iestyn Thomas.
Reserve: 20 Dwayne Peel.
Tries: Williams (4), Morgan (2), Gr.Thomas, M. Jones, Lloyd, Durston; Conversions: S. Jones (10).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 4min-try Wales, Gareth Thomas, conv. S. Jones-0-7, 7min-try Wales, M. Jones, conv. S. Jones-0-14, 13min-try Wales, Morgan, conv. S. Jones-0-21, 15min-try Wales, Lloyd, conv. S. Jones-0-28, 17min-try Wales, Williams, conv. S. Jones (missed)-0-33, 22min-try Wales, Morgan, conv. S. Jones (missed)-0-38, 37min-try Wales, Williams, conv. S. Jones-0-45, 40min-try Wales, Durston, conv. S. Jones-0-52, Half-time, 48min-try Wales, Williams, conv. S. Jones-0-59, 53min-try Japan, Vatuvei, conv. Kurihara (missed)-5-59, 62min-try Japan, Ito, conv. Kurihara (missed)-10-59, 66min-try Wales, Williams, conv. S. Jones (missed)-10-64.
 


Wales, who lost to Suntory (a company rugby team) in the first match of the tour, fired up in this match as if to say that the test match was an entirely different matter. Japan was thrown on the defensive from the beginning and could do nothing for the offence, conceding eight tries and six goals in the first half to make it 0-52 at the break. We saw a 100-point game coming on, but the scoring for the second half was a surprising 10-12; whether Wales was slacking off, or Japan becoming adrenalized, was uncertain. Japan scored only two tries: one by Vatuvei from consecutive possessions turned over from a maul in the 13th minute of the second half, and one by Ito from Saito and Murata from the scrum in the 21th minute. The reason why they conceded 10 tries was simply that their defence wasn't working.