Test Match No. 183: The 1st Super Powers Cup

日本語 Journal
25 May 2003 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium
●Japan 34-43 Russia○
Japan lost a close match to Russia, too
 
Data:
25/05/2003, Super Powers Cup 2003
Japan 34 Russia 43
Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground, Tokyo
Half-time: 13-18
Referee: Allan William Klemp (U.S.A)
Touch Judges: 1st Kevin McCaslin (U.S.A.), 2nd Mark Wheeler (U.S.A.), 3rd Takashi Onozuka (Japan), 4th Taizo Hirabayashi (Kanto)
Crowd: 13,000
 
JAPAN: 15 Toru Kurihara, 14 Daisuke Ohata, 13 Reuben Parkinson, 12 Hideki Nanba, 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 Soshi Fuchigami, 9 Yuji Sonoda, 8 Takeomi Ito, 7 Takuro Miuchi (capt) (19 Yasunori Watanabe temp-bs 21-22), 6 Naoya 'Tofu' Okubo, 5 Adam Parker (18 Luatangi Vatuvei temp-bs 20-22 and 51), 4 Koichi Kubo (19 Yasunori Watanabe 72), 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 2 Masaaki Sakata (17 Masao Amino 62) 1 Yuichi Hisadomi.
Reserves: 16 Masahito Yamamoto, 20 Shinichi Tsukida, 21 George Konia, 22 Tsutomu Matsuda.
Tries: Kurihara (2), Ohata, Ito, Fuchigami; Conversions: Kurihara (3); Penalty Goal: Kurihara.
 
RUSSIA: 15 Konstantin Rachkov, 14 Igor Kliuchnikov (21 Vladimir Simonov 64), 13 Vitaly Zeer, 12 Denis Akulov, 11 Iaroslav Retchnev, 10 Alexei Korobeynikov, 9 Viktor Motorin (20 Andre Bykanov 69), 8 Viatchislav Grachev, 7 Vyatcheslav Zykov (18 Alexander Chrokine temp replacement for FW sin bin 57), 6 Alexei Sarychev, 5 Sergei Sergueev (capt), 4 Valeri Fedtchenko, 3 Alexei Travkin (22 Rashid Bikbov 78), 2 Igor Nikolaychuk (16 Vladislav Korshunov 2nd Half 40), 1 Oleg Shukaylov (18 A. Khrokine 69).
Reserves: 17 Sergei Popov, 19 Sergei Vassiliev.
Tries: Shukailov, Retchnev, Motorin, Sarychev, Rachkov; Conversions: Rachkov (3); Penalty Goals: Rachkov (4).
Yellow Card: Shukailov (57 sin-bin, rough play).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 6min-drop goal Russia, Rachkov (missed), 14min-pen Japan, Kulihara-3-0, 16min-pen Russia, Rachkov-3-3, 24min-try Russia, Shukailov; conv. Rachkov-3-10, 33min-pen Russia, Rachkov-3-13, 37min-try Japan, Ohata; conv. Kurihara (missed)-8-13, 39min-try Japan, Kurihara; conv. Kurihara (missed)-13-13, 44min-try Russia, Retchnev; conv. Rachkov-13-18, Half-time, 46min-try Russia, Motorin; conv. Rachkov (missed)-13-23, 50min-try Russia, Sarychev; conv. Rachkov-13-30, 59min-try Japan, Ito; conv. Kurihara-20-30, 62min-pen Russia, Rachkov-20-33, 71min-try Russia, Rachkov; conv. Rachkov-20-40, 37min-pen Russia, Rachkov-20-43, 84min-try Japan, Kurihara; conv. Kurihara-27-43, 87min-try Japan, Fuchigami; conv. Kurihara-34-43.
 


Japan lost to Russia, too. When the two played last year, Japan won a sweeping victory. However, whether the players were relieved to have secured a seat in the World Cup, the team is on a downhill course. This is one of the difficult things about rugby. The number of tries was 5-5, but the actual game was bad. Perhaps it is always like this when a team loses a game, but it was a regrettable, shameful way to lose. Ohata scored a try in the 37th minute of the first half. From the kick-off right after the try, Kurihara and Onozawa made a speedy attack and scored back-to-back tries. In the 19th minute of the second half, Ito tried directly from a side attack from the scrum. As they were able to score tries easily, they lost a sense of urgency, and tended to go for on-shot attack such as making a dash rather than a succession of attacks. Russia, being simple but powerful, gradually blew a hole in Japan's defence and scored five tries, three goals and four penalties.