Test Match No. 196: Italy National Rugby Union Team's first visit to Japan, game 2

日本語 Photo Journal
4 July 2004 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium
●Japan 19-32 Italy○
Japan fought back but lost
 
Data:
04/07/2004, Lipobitan D Challenge 2004
Japan 19 Italy 32
Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground, Tokyo
Half-time: 6-15
Referee: Kevin Mark Deaker (New Zealand)
Touch Judges: 1st Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), 2nd Brett Bowden (Australia), 3rd Toshiyuki Watanabe (Japan), 4th Taizou Hirabayashi (Kanto)
Crowd: 14,125
 
JAPAN: 15 Koseke Endo (22 Keiji Takei 81), 14 Takefumi Hirao, 13 Daisuke Ohata, 12 Yuki Motoki (21 Masatoshi Mukouyama 69), 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 Kyohei Morita, 9 Wataru Ikeda, 8 Takeomi Ito (19 Koichi Kubo 73), 7 Takuro Miuchi (capt), 6 Feletiliki Mau (18 Luatangi Vatuvei 64), 5 Takanori Kumagae, 4 Adam Parker, 3 Ryo Yamamura, 2 Yuji Matsubara (16 Takashi Yamaoka 81), 1 Yuichi Hisadomi.
Reserves: 17 Yasumasa Miyamoto, 20 Mamoru Ito.
Try: Onozawa; Conversion: Ikeda; Penalty Goals: Ikeda (3); Drop Goal: Morita.
 
ITALY: 15 Gonzalo Canale (21 Danielo Carpente 68) 、 14 Walter Pozzebon, 13 Andrea Masi , 12 Matteo Barbini (22 Nichola Mazzucato 47), 11 Kayne Robertson, 10 Rima Wakarua-Noema, 9 Paul Griffen (20 Alessandro Troncon 68), 8 David Dal Maso (18 Robert Mandelli 67), 7 Mauro Bergamasco (19 Aaron Ronald Persico 2nd Half 40), 6 Enrico Pavanello, 5 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 4 Marco Bortolami (capt), 3 Martin Leandro Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro (16 Giorgio Intoppa 69), 1 Andrea Lo Cicero Vaina (17 Mario Savi 73).
Tries: Castrogiovanni (3), Canale; Conversions: Wakarua (3); Penalty Goals: Wakarua (2).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 10min-pen Italy, Wakarua-0-3, 16min-try Italy, Castrogiovanni; conv. Wakarua (missed)-0-8, 28min-try Italy, Canale; conv. Wakarua-0-15, 32min-drop goal Japan, Morita-3-15, 35min-pen Japan, Morita (missed), 40+4min-pen Japan, Ikeda-6-15, Half-time, 44min-pen Japan, Ikeda-9-15, 47min-pen Italy, Wakarua-9-18, 51min-pen Japan, Ikeda-12-18, 53min-pen Italy, Wakarua (missed), 62min-try Italy, Castrogiovanni; conv. Wakarua-12-25, 76min-try Japan, Onozawa; conv. Ikeda-19-25, 80min-try Italy, Castrogiovanni; conv. Wakarua-19-32.
 


The coach of Italy at the time was John Kirwan, who would be later appointed as head coach of Japan. Japan played neck and neck with Italy but it was a frustrating game and Japan could not corner the opponent. In the 36th minute of the second half, centre Mukoyama jumped in from a lineout to form a ruck, wing Onozawa ran to the opposite side and scored a try. This makes the mistake in the 10th minute of the second half even more regrettable. When Japan's ace player Ohata dived into the in-goal line, the spectators filling the stadium screamed to see the ball being dropped from his arms. The spectators did not blame Ohata for the mistake as he was always brave and did his best. For that reason, I am even more disappointed because if he had scored the try successfully, the game would have been so close and would have pleased the spectators.