Test Match No. 187: England National Rugby Union Team's third visit to Japan, game 1

日本語 Photo Journal
3 July 2003 at Ajinomoto Stadium
●Japan 10-37 England○
Demonstrated improvement in defence skills
 
Data:
03/07/2003, Lipobitan D Challenge, 1st Test
Japan Select XV 10 England XV 37
Ajinomoto Stadium, Chofu, Tokyo
Half-time: 10-11
Referee: Scott Young (Australia)
Touch Judges: 1st Shinji Aida (Japan), 2nd Masahiro Sakuraoka (Japan), 3rd Takeyuki Kishikawa (Kanto), 4th Taizo Hirabayashi (Kanto)
Crowd: 8,000
 
JAPAN SELECT XV: 15 Tsutomu Matsuda (22 Hirotoki Onozawa 60), 14 Daisuke Ohata, 13 Hideki Nanba, 12 Yukio Motoki, 11 Toru Kurihara, 10 Keiji Hirose, 9 Yuji Sonoda (20 Wataru Murata 67), 8 Yuya Saito, 7 Takuro Miuchi (capt), 6 Takeomi Ito, 5 Adam Parker (19 Yasunori Watanabe 83), 4 Hajime Kiso (18 Koichi Kubo 77), 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 2 Masao Amino (17 Hiroki Matsuo 44), 1 Sin Hasegawa (16 Masahito Yamamoto 67).
Reserve: 21 Reuben Parkinson.
Try: Ohata; Conversion: Hirose; Penalty Goal: Hirose.
 
ENGLAND XV: 15 Michael Horak, 14 Daniel Scarbrough, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Benedict Johnson (21 Henry Paul 54), 11 Philip Christophers, 10 Oliver Barkley, 9 Nicholas Walshe (22 Martyn Wood 71), 8 Peter Anglesea (capt) (20 Daniel Hyde 56), 7 Andrew Hazell, 6 Paul Volley, 5 Aleaxander Brown (19 Hugh Vyvyan 2nd Half 40), 4 Christpher Jones, 3 David Flatman (18 William Green 54), 2 Matthew Cairns (16 Andrew Titterrell 65), 1 Neal Hatley (17 Andrew Sheridan 65).
Tries: Barkley (2), Anglesea, Christophers, Scarbrough; Conversions: Barkley (3); Penalty Goals: Barkley (2).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 9min-pen England XV, Barkley-0-3, 20min-try Japan, Ohata; conv. Hirose-7-3, 23min-pen Japan, Hirose-10-3, 36min-pen England XV, Barkley-10-6, 42min-try England XV, Anglesea; conv. Barkley (missed)-10-11, Half-time, 43min-try England XV, Barkley; conv. Barkley-10-18, 58min-try England XV, Christophwers; conv. Barkley-10-25, 61min-pen Japan, Hirose (missed), 75min-try England XV, Scarbrough; conv. Barkley (missed)-10-30, 85min-try England XV, Barkley; conv. Barkley-10-37.
 


Japan displayed improvement in their defence skills by conceding only five tries to England. The score was very close, 10-11, at the break. The try from an interception and the one conceded in the 45th minute of the second half were very regrettable, because they could have been prevented if they had a little more power of concentration. There is no “if” in the world where might rules, but IF Japan prevented these tries, it would have been three tries for England, and would have been a satisfactory and even promising 10-25 loss for Japan.