Test Match No. 343: Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2018, game 1

日本語 Photo Journal
9 June 2018; G: Oita (Daigin Dome); R: Nic Berry (AUS)
○Japan 34-17 Italy●
 
Data:
9/6/2018, Italy 4th Japan tour
Japan 34 Italy 17
Ohita Bank Dome Stadium, Japan
Half-time 17 - 14
Refree: Nic Berry (Argentina)
Crowd: 25,824
 
JAPAN: 15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Lomano Lava 13 William Tupou (23 Ryoto Nakamura 78), 12 Timothy Lafaele, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura (22 Rikiya Matsuda 78), 9 Fumiaki Tanaka (21 Yutaka Nagare 48), 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi (20 Yoshitaka Tokunaga), 7 Michael Leitch (capt), 6 Kazuki Himeno (* Injury out 79), 5 Samuela Anise, 4 Wimpie Van Der Walt (19 Uwe Helu 52), 3 Jiwon Koo (18 Takuma Asahara 59), 2 Shota Horie (16 Yusuke Niwai 78), 1 Keita Inagaki (17 Shintaro Ishihara 78).
Reserves:
Coach: Jamie Joseph.
Tries: Mafi, Fukuoka, Lemeki, Matsushima; Conversions: Tamura (4); Penalty Goals: Tamura (2).
 
Italy: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Tommaso Castello, 11 Mattia Bellini (23 Jayden Hayward), 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Marcello Violi (22 Tito Tebaldi 65), 8 Abraham Jurgens Steyn, 7 Giovanni Licata (21 Jake Polledri 49), 6 Sebastiani Negri, 5 Dean Budo (20 George Biagi), 4 Alessandro Zanni (19 Marco Fuser 69), 3 Tiziano Pasquali (18 Giosue Zilocchi 59), 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (capt) (16 Luca Bigi 59), 1 Andrea Lovotti (17 Federico Zani 48).
Reserves:
Coach: Conor O'Shea.
Tries: Tiziano Pasquali, Abraham Jurgens Steyn; Conversions: Tommaso Allan (2); Penalty Goals: Tommaso Allan.
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 15min-try Italy, Tiziano Pasquali; conv. Tommaso Allan-0-7, 18min-try Japan, Amanaki Lelei Mafi; conv. Yu Tamura-7-7, 28min-try Japan, Kenki Fukuoka; conv. Yu Tamura-14-7, 33min-Pen Japan, Yu Tamura-17-7, 36min-try Italy, Abraham Jurgens Steyn; conv. Tommaso Allan-17-14, 51min-pen Italy, Tommaso Allan-17-17, 57min-Pen Japan, Yu Tamura-20-17, 61min-try Japan, Lomano Lava; conv. Yu Tamura-27-17, 66min-try Japan, Kotaro Matsushima; conv. Yu Tamura-34-17.
 


The “Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2018” held in June was the first test match series in the 2018 season, which was the previous year of the Rugby World Cup in Japan. In the begining of the match against Italy, which was held in Oita on 9 June, Japan's objective was to move the opponent to make them tired. Tamura used distant touch kicks and contact kicks to compete against the opponent tactically, depending on the situation, to remove Italy's stamina. Since he moved the opponent more, he stayed in his own territory longer. In the 15th minute, Japan conceded the opening point to prop Tiziano Pasquali, however, “we had made penalties consecutively before that, so we knew what was the cause.” (Leitch)
Just after this, there was almost 10 minutes break due to a failure of the communications device for referees, and Japan attacked from the kick-off after the match resumed.
Amanaki Lelei Mafi, who joined from Melbourne Rebels,and some other players, made a big gain from their own territory. They made short passes before the goal, and Mafi finished it at the end. In the 28th minute, wing Fukuoka got out of their own territory, pretended to go inside once, and went at top speed fleeing the opponent. Full-back Matteo Minozzi chased him, but gave up quickly. Fukuoka ran for 60 meters. The score became 14-7. After that, Japan conceded 1 try to Italy to make the score 17-14 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, both teams kicked lots of penalty goals, but after the 20th minute, Japan's attack accelerated. Flanker Kazuki Himeno brought out the ball from a lineout with his original strength. They passed the ball in front of the goal again, hooker Shota Horie caught, while jumping up, a kick pass to the edge of the right line, from Tamura. “Since the venue was big and I didn't hear the voice, I used eye contact” (Horie). He made a pass, like one from basket ball, to wing Lemeki Lomano Lava, who was just next to him. To the audience's applause, Lemeki jumped in the in-goal. In the 26th minute, Tamura full-back Kotaro Matsushima picked up a left kick pass from Tamura and went to the in-goal. After making the score 34-17, it was the determining try. Tamura succeeded six kicks out of seven as a place kicker, and also played a role as the first kicker. (from the Rugby Magazine, August 2018)