Test Match No. 282: Japan tour Europe, game 2

日本語 Photo Journal
17 November 2012, G: Tbilisi (Mikheil Meskhi S); R: Glen Jackson (NZ)
○Japan 25-22 Georgia●
 
Data:
17/11/2012, Europian Tour2012 2nd Match
Japan 25 Georgia 22
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
Refree: Grain Jackson (NZ)
Crowd: 16,858
 
JAPAN: 15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Toshiaki Hirose (capt), 13 Tomohiro Senba (23 Go Aruga 57), 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Fumiaiki Tanaka (21 Atsushi Hiwasa 61), 8 Takashi Kikutani, 7 Michael Leitch, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Luke Thompson (20 Michael Broadhurst 50), 4 Hitoshi Ono, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama (18 Hiroshi Yamashita 57), 2 Shota Horie, 1 Yusuke Nagae.
Reserves: 16 Haruki Ota, 17 Takuma Asahara, 22 Yu Tamura.
Coach: Eddie Jones.
Tries: Onozawa; Conversions: Goromaru; Penalty Goals: Goromaru (5); Drop Goals: Kosei Ono.
 
GEORGiA: 15 Irakli Kiasashvili, 14 Irakli Machkhaneli, 13 Davit Katcharava (capy), 12 Merab Sharikadze (23 Teodore Zibzibadze 68), 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Merab Kvirikashvili (22 Lasha Khamaladze 66), 9 Irakli Abuseridze (capt) (20 Giorgi Begadze 66), 8 Mamuka Gorgodze, 7 Viktor Kolelishvili (34, 44), 6 Shalva Sutiashvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili (21 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili 66), 4 Giorgi Nemsadze (19 Vakhtang Maisuradze 58), 3 David Zirakishvili (18 David Kubriashvili 52), 2 Shalva Mamukashvili (16 Iuri Natriashvili 52), 1 David Khinchagishvili (17 Mikheil Nariashvili 58).
Reserves:
Coach: Milton Haig.
Tries: Merab Kvirikashvili; Conversions: Merab Kvirikashvili (2); Conversions: Merab Kvirikashvili; Penalty Goals: Merab Kvirikashvili (5).
Yellow Cards: Viktor Kolelishvili (34 sin-bin).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 5min-pen Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili-0-3, 7min-pen Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili-0-6, 13min-pen Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili-0-9, 25min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-3-9, 35min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-6-9, 42min-try Japan, Hirotoki Onozawa; conv. Ayumu Goromaru-13-9, 43min-pen Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili-13-12, 50min-pen Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili-13-15, 52min-try Georgia, Merab Kvirikashvili; conv. Merab Kvirikashvili-13-22, 56min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-16-22, 66min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-19-22, 72min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-22-22, 83min-dg Japan, Kosei Ono-25-22.
 


Located at the entrance to Europe when looking at it from Asia, Georgia was a strong team ranked 15th in world rugby (at the point before Japan toured Europe), and ranked top in Europe excluding the countries of the Six Nations. For Georgia, Japan played with the fixed starting-lineup, except that they changed the right prop to Kensuke Hatakeyama, from Hiroshi Yamashita, who played the match against Romania a week ago. The members for this test match were:
Yusuke Nagae, Shota Horie, Hiroshi Yamashita (Kensuke Hatakeyama), Hitoshi Ohno, Luke Thompson, Hendrik Tui, Takashi Kikutani, Michael Leitch, Fumiaki Tanaka, Kosei Ono, Hirotoki Onozawa, Harumichi Tatekawa, Tomohiro Senba, Toshiaki Hirose, Ayumu Goromaru. “In the match against Romania, the 15 members of the starting-lineup performed a very good play, and the members subbed in for the last 15 minutes also performed a good play.” (Head coach Jones)
For the first 20 minutes of the first half, Japan was not able to enter the opposing team's territory at all while Georgia kicked several penalty goals, however, Japan was patient and didn't concede any tries, then Japan became dominant in the game gradually. In the extra time of the first half, which started with Georgia leading by 3 points 6-9, Japan started attacking with a good decision by wing Onozawa after a penalty kick taken deep inside their own territory, and eventually the ball was passed to Onozawa again and he scored an excellent “95-meter” try. The half-time break came with a 4-point margin at 13-9.
In the second half, even once Georgia widened the point gap to 13-22, Japan didn't stop trying until the end. After making a tie with three penalty kicks by full-back Goromaru, in extra time, stand-off Ono scored a dramatic drop goal. Japan achieved the great accomplishment of winning two test matches consecutively in Europe. “There is no other team in the world who can show such an attack past the 80th minute.”, head coach Jones praised players who kept attacking from deep inside their own territory in extra time and grabbed the win with much applause.