It would undoubtedly be bittersweet for Japan if they beat USA in their final pool match next Sunday and depart a tournament they have lit up so brilliantly. That eventuality remains a distinct possibility, even if a convincing victory over Samoa raised expectation further.
Japan could potentially win three Rugby World Cup matches and fail to reach the quarter-final, such is the complexion of Pool B. They thrashed the Pacific islanders by 21 points on Saturday yet sit two points behind Scotland – still to play Samoa – with a worse head-to-head record against Vern Cotter’s men, the deciding factor if points are equal.
This tournament would certainly be poorer without them and, while Scottish hopes also lie in the balance following their defeat by South Africa, ask any neutral whom they would rather see advance to the last eight and the answer would be unanimous. The Springboks are not quite out of the woods yet either but play the USA on Wednesday.
For Japan, this win proved they are not merely one-hit wonders. There may not have been the drama of their opening match but they were so accomplished at the scrum and at the breakdown that this never really got going as a contest – Japan were simply far better than Samoa.
At the beginning of the tournament, few would have predicted such a slick run of performances. The Scotland display aside, Eddie Jones’ team have been a pleasure to watch throughout England 2015 and it has been no fluke, the boot of Ayumu Goromaru and brilliance of the try-scorer Akihito Yamada capitalising on the fine work of the Blossoms’ pack at Milton Keynes.
Jones spoke afterwards of restoring pride in Japanese rugby, admitting that when he took the job he was dismayed at the level of the game across the country. Pride has already been restored. Now Japan are a genuine force to be reckoned with.
“If we win three games, it will be three more games than in the last 24 years,” said the New Zealand-born lock Luke Thompson. “We came here to qualify for the quarter-finals but we also came to get some pride back into Japanese rugby and prove to the world that we’re a serious rugby nation.
“We’ve made a couple of good steps in that direction and hopefully we can finish that job. Who knows what’s going to happen? Hopefully Samoa can bounce back and do a job for us next week. If we can get kids excited about playing rugby in Japan and improve the fan base, then we’ve done a really good job. We’ve got one more big hurdle to cross.”
Samoa’s indiscipline did not help their own cause. Stephen Betham spoke before the match about it being a do-or-die occasion for his side but it was the same old story for the islanders. They conceded 17 penalties throughout a match where knock-ons and offsides broke the flow and handed Goromaru easy opportunities in front of the posts.
Indeed, there were serious questions levelled at Japan afterwards regarding their tactics in the second half. With Samoa barely able to muster an attack, should Jones’ men have gone for the jugular in an attempt to secure a potentially crucial bonus point?
Asked if it could come back to haunt them, Thompson said: “It could do but that’s rugby. It was a really gutsy effort but we left a few tries out there; that could cost us later on. But we won a World Cup game and that’s special. We’ve got to savour that. We had to make sure we won the game first.”
One has to feel for the USA, who must now play the Springboks before facing a Japan side desperate for one last hurrah in Gloucester on Sunday, seeking to get as many points on the board as possible. “We didn’t play our best game today,” Japan’s back-row Michael Leitch said. “We have a few things to sharpen up moving towards America to try and blow them off the park.”
Jones was in agreement. While Japan have already put the pride back into their nation’s rugby, they still have unfinished business. He said: “We still haven’t played as well as we can at the World Cup and that’s the disappointing thing. We’re looking to play our best game against the USA.”
