Test Match No. 291: Pacific Nations Cup, game 3

日本語 Photo Journal
19 June 2013; G: Mizuho; R: Jonathon White (NZ)
○Japan 16-13 Canada●
 
Data:
19/6/2013, 8th Pacific Nations Cup 3rd Match
Japan 16 Canada 13
Mizuho Rugby Stadium
Half-time 0 - 3
Refree: Jonathon White (New Zealand)
Crowd: 4,456
 
JAPAN: 15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Toshiaki Hirose (capt), 13 Male Sau, 12 Yu Tamura, 11 Kenki Fukuoka (23 Yoshikazu Fujita 37), 10 Harumichi Tatekawa, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka (21 Atsushi Hiwasa 67), 8 Takashi Kikutani, 7 Michael Broadhurst, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shinya Makabe (20 Shoji Ito 55), 4 Justin Ives (19 Hitoshi Ono 73), 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama (18 Hiroshi Yamashita 70), 2 Shota Horie (16 Takeshi Kizu 79), 1 Yusuke Nagae (17 Masataka Mikami 70).
Reserves: 22 Seiichi Shimomura.
Coach: Eddie Jones.
Tries: Goromaru; Conversions: Goromaru; Penalty Goals: Goromaru (3).
 
CANADA: 15 James Prichard, 14 Connor Braid, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 Taylor Paris (22 Mike Fuailefau 60), 10 Liam Underwood (23 Pat Parfrey 65), 9 Sean White, 8 Aaron Carpenter (capt)(20 Aaron Flagg 60), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Tyler Ardron, 5 Brett Beukeboom, 4 Jon Phelan (19 Canerib Pierce 67), 3 Jason Marshall (18 Andrew Tiedemann 67), 2 Ryan Hamilton (16 Ray Barkwill 41), 1 Hubert Buydens (17 Tom Dolezel 76).
Reserves: 21 Eric Wilson.
Coach: Kieran Crowley.
Tries: Hearn; Conversion: Prichard; Penalty Goals: Prichard (2).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 3min-pen Canada, James Prichard-0-3, 45min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-3-3, 52min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-6-3, 53min-try Canada, Ciaran Hearn; conv. James Prichard-6-10, 63min-try Japan, Ayumu Goromaru; conv. Ayumu Goromaru-13-10, 66min-pen Canada, James Prichard-13-13, 45min-pen Japan, Ayumu Goromaru-16-13.
 


A heavy rain that reminded Japan of the match against Fiji. Soon after the game started, Japan conceded the opening score. The situation in which Japan saved well until the half-time break was also similar to the match against Fiji. What was different was the details of their performance. Especially for 40 minutes in the second half, they kept using the Japan strategy of attacking at their tempo all the way through. “Even though Japan had a hard time with breakdowns in the first half, the players continued playing excellent rugby under severe conditions in the second half. They moved the ball actively, and their scrums and lineouts were also good. It was fairly difficult in breakdowns, however, what is always most important is to keep growing. I'm really happy with today's win,” head coach Jones reflected, expressing his pleasure in an interview after the match.
“I'm sure our opponent will get exhausted when we play at our tempo. There is no other team in the world like us. The ground conditions were not that bad compared to the match against Fiji, and we were able to move the ball actively. Japan is the only team who can play rugby like this. We have practiced so much, and we have skills too,” said vice captain and full-back Ayumu Goromaru, who scored all the 16-points Japan got on the day by himself.
Enthusiastic fans who watched the game in the heavy rain must also have been able to appreciate that teamwork was the biggest factor in the win. The play which demonstrated this most was the come-from-behind try scene in the 22nd minute of the second half. From a turnover in a lineout awarded to Canada, which was within Japan's own territory, Japan increased phases steadily keeping their own shape, and finally when Canada's defense became unable to handle it, centre Male Sau broke and passed the ball to Goromaru who was following, then Goromaru completed the attack. After that, in the 26th minute, Canada scored a penalty goal to make the score tie 13-13, which was a situation that reminded Japan of the matches against them in the past two World Cups, however, vice captin and number 8 Takashi Kikutani, who was the caption in the World Cup 2011, said “I knew the score was a tie, yet I didn't think of the World Cup at all.”
Japan stuck to the Japan way until the end, and 8 minutes before the match ended, Goromaru scored a penalty goal, which was the third penalty goal of the day, to win against the opponent by fate.
Centre Yu Tamura, who was in the game all of a sudden due to the bad condition of Craig Wing, showed overwhelming presence in the match against Wales, and also showed great performance, which pleased the head coach and made him comment, “he played a super game”. The team power of the entire team was surely improving.