Ah well, what a shame for The People’s Japan, but Scotland did exactly what they had to do. They will be delighted to get what became a very tricky fixture out of the way and will now be focussed on USA on Sunday, followed by South Africa and then a difficult encounter against Samoa.
Eddie Jones’s bullish assertion that his side would run Scotland off the park in the second half was always likely to be optimistic after Japan’s three-day turnaround after the South Africa win. The fact that Scotland ran in five second-half tries after an even first half is perhaps the clearest indication that they were struggling for fitness.
Japan, too, were not helped by Maki’s enforced substitution. The No8 was sensational either side of half-time and how Japan could have done with him on the pitch. Let’s hope Japan will bounce back: they’ve certainly got a coach who will get them up and will be the neutral’s favourites for the rest of their time in the tournament.
Thanks for reading, I’m off. Here’s Mike Averis’s full match report
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FULL TIME: Scotland 45-10 Japan
No try. The ball was dropped over the line and not grounded. And that, somewhat anticlimactically, is that. Japan gave it their all, but Scotland were simply too well drilled and far better rested than their rivals.
80 min + 1: Japan run it. Of course Japan run it. They get up to the line but not quite over it … or do they? Lacey goes upstairs …
80 min: Japan are not going down without a fight. They drive for the line, setting up a maul a yard out. Tui dives for the line and is pushed back, then Leitch, then Matsushima go. Scotland are like a wall, as Broadhurst bludgeons forward still looking for a Japan try. The clock goes past 80 and we’re into Japan time. Again they come forward and Leitch is stopped an inch short. They spread it … but Maitland intercepts and breaks for the other end of the pitch. Lacey had already blown his whistle, though. Laidlaw was offside. Japan penalty … it’s not over yet.
77 min: You’ve got to think the scheduling has done for Japan here. A few more days rest and preparation, and this could have been very different. But, fit though they are, they simply did not have the breath for this second half and Scotland have capitalised efficiently and ruthlessly. Still, Japan have enough left for one last attack and Gray is lucky when a clearing kick is charged down but straight over the dead ball line. Japan scrum five metres out.
TRY AND CONVERSION! Scotland 45-10 Japan (Russell + Laidlaw)
74 min: Scotland press forward again and, five metres out, Strauss knocks the ball on as he attempts to blast through the Japanese defence. But Scotland have a penalty anyway after a man is played while off his feet. They elect to scrum it and from it Russell jinks one way then the other, before darting through to score under the posts. Come on Scotland, don’t harsh Japan’s vibe here. Give them a break.
TRY! Scotland's Finn Russell scores on his birthday! – brought to you by @SamsungUK | #SamsungRugby http://t.co/G8toBWLHBK
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 23, 2015
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71 min: Japan know the game is up here. They’re tired out and their heads are down. They make a raft of substitutions, while Horne replaces Bennett for Scotland.
“It’s starting to look a bit bleak for Japan now, but perhaps they’ve got the right commentator in Clive Tyldsley for those without tickets watching the ITV coverage. He’ll no doubt provide encouragement by reminding them of ‘that night in Barcelona’, and that it’s never settled until the final whistle. He manages to shoe-horn a reference to it into every football commentary so i’m sure he’ll manage to bring it up when on rugby duty too.
TRY AND CONVERSION! Scotland 38-10 Japan (Bennett + Laidlaw)
69 min: Scott attempts to break through the Japan line but makes it only as far as the 22 as Scotland search for another try to bring them a bonus point. Calmly, the Scots inch forward until Bennett bursts through and touches the ball down over the tryline for his second! For a minute it looks like he may have dropped it, but the referee Lacey elects not to go upstairs. That’s the bonus point for Scotland.
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67 min: The substitutions are coming thick and fast: Grant replaces Dickinson in the Scotland front row, while Maitland comes on for Hogg at full back. Tanaka, the Japan scrum half, has gone off too.
TRY AND CONVERSION! Scotland 31-10 Japan (Seymour + Laidlaw)
63 min: The Scottish pack heave their Japanese counterparts back from the lineout but Japan retain possession … or at least they do until Seymour catches Sau off guard and whips in to intercept a pass off the centre’s fingers. Suddenly the pitch opens up in front of Seymour and he races from the Scottish 22 to the Japanese tryline and there’s nothing Fukuoka’s attempted tap tackle can do to stop him. Game over.
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62 min: Japan are blowing a bit now, perhaps that short turnaround after the South Africa game biting them. Makabe replaces Ives as Japan win another lineout, this one on the Scotland 22. They work the ball blind, passes whizzing about all over the place, and they win a penalty after a man is played while off his feet. Being Japan, they kick for the corner instead of taking the very simple three points on offer.
59 min: Strauss comes on for his Scottish debut as Scotland are forced to defend from the restart. After a series of Japan attacks, though, Scotland kick long exposing Matsushima outside Japan’s 22. He clears up well in the face of four onrushing Scots and Japan set up to attack again.
Here’s a good read, courtesy of Sean Ingle
TRY AND CONVERSION! Scotland 24-10 Japan (Bennett + Laidlaw)
56 min: Hogg races for the line, breaking from the halfway line and blasting into the 22. He’s stopped, throws the ball wide to nobody, but Scotland keep hold of the ball. From the next ruck, Mark Bennett finds an immaculate angle and scythes through the Japan defence as if they’re not there and scores under the posts. That could well be that.
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55 min: Hatakeyama, Japan’s most capped prop, replaces Yamashita as Japan embark on another one of their epic phase-after-phase-after-phase passages. It comes to an end when Fukouka passes the ball straight into touch when he thought a man was outside of him. As an idea of how much Japan are running the ball, Scotland have had to made 111 tackles.
53 min: Kingsholm falls (nearly) silent as Goromaru lines up the kick. The ball sails high into the air, turning over and over, then strikes the Scottish upright. Laidlaw catches it, marks it, then kicks for touch.
49 min: Laidlaw can’t convert from out wide on the touchline and so Japan restart long. Denton allows the ball to sail over his head as Scotland entirely fail to deal with the kick. Matsushima charges in, collects the ball, and legs it for the line! A massive lapse of Scottish concentration very nearly hands Japan s try, but they’re stopped short but do win a penalty. They’ll kick for goal from virtually in front of the posts.
TRY! Scotland 17-10 Japan (Hardie)
48 min: From the restart, Japan burst from the backs again. But a casual offload from, I think, Tamura, concedes possession to Scotland’s centre Scott. It’s Scotland’s turn to go through the phases and a great roar of “SCOTLAND! SCOTLAND!” goes up as Hogg, Lamont and Hardie combine to get the ball inches short of the Japan tryline. A ruck forms an inch out, and Laidlaw throws it blind to Hardie who crashes over from a few yards out.
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PENALTY! Scotland 12-10 Japan (Goromaru)
After a long wait, Goromaru whistles the kick over the upright. Tui replaces Mafi.
44 min: Hard to see what happened to Mafi from the replays, but the physios now have the oxygen out for him. He doesn’t want to go off but he’s eventually persuaded onto the stretcher and is clapped off the pitch. A great pity.
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44 min: Before the kick can be taken, though, Mafi has gone down again. That run did him more harm than I initially though. A stretcher is coming on for him and he’ll be a huge loss for Japan if he has to go off. The big No8 has been on absolutely marauding form either side of half time. A shame.
44 min: But not for long. Scotland throw over the top of their own lineout, Japan scramble to get to the ball and Mafi - who looks fine now - charges from the halfway line to within 10 metres of the Scotland line. Japan keep on coming, quick ball coming out of the ruck, and Tatekawa chips a grubber through the Scotland line as he attempts to scrape over the line. He doesn’t make it, but Japan are given a penalty for an offside from Scott earlier. They’ll kick for goal.
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42 min: After the restart, the scrum wheels around and Scotland are awarded a penalty. Hogg clears to the halfway line to relieve the pressure on Scotland.
41 min: Mafi has gone down in a heap, injured in the ruck after his chip and run. There’s a long pause while the pohysios try to stick him back together again. He’s back on his feet eventually, but looks uneasy.
41 min: Japan certainly start brightly, Mafi pops up out of the base of a ruck, chips the Scotland defence, and Finn Russell scrambles to clean up. Scotland win the scrum five metres from their own line, but they were in trouble then.
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Peep, peep!
Japan promised to run Scotland off their feet in the second half. Well, here we go …
Let’s hope the second half can live up to the first one. Japan started a little groggily but increasingly came into the match. Scotland have gone about their business quietly but solidly. The teams are trotting onto the pitch …
Eddie Jones before the match: “If we can stick with them in the first 30 minutes and are in the game at half-time we will win the game.”
Well, Japan are definitely still in it and, in fact, increasingly came into it as the first half proceeded. Could there be another shock in them in the second half? Around the half hour mark, their backs clicked into gear and began running some very tricky angles at the Scotland defence. They’re certainly not making it easy today.
That said, Scotland have been very efficient. Laidlaw’s boot has been excellent, while they’ve been putting the tackles in very smartly. Perhaps, though, they not to be a bit more positive in their defence by hitting their men sooner and harder. All to play for at the moment, though Scotland deserve their lead. Meanwhile, here’s that half-ending tackle. Oof.
CLOSE! Scotland send it wide but just miss out before half-time – brought to you by @SamsungUK | #SamsungRugby http://t.co/BXpqHCmByd
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 23, 2015
HALF TIME
40 min: Denton is nailed as he comers into the Scotland backline, but he still gets the ball away. And now Scotland break, bursting to within two metres of the tryline. Laidlaw tries to dart over and is repelled, Gilchrist has a go, then Scotland miss out three men and throw it wide to Seymour. He looks certain to score and sprints for the line from 10 metres out but an absolutely sensational tackle from Goromaru denies him a metre short as the Japan full back wrestles him into touch. And that’s the half.
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38 min: Scotland take advantage of more indiscipline from Japan and kick a penalty long for touch. They set up a maul on the Japan 22 from the ensuing lineout, gradually creeping forwards nearer the Japan line.
38 min: Japan are on the attack again, their backs endlessly running into Scotland defenders - defenders who are standing off a bit much and should probably be pushing up to meet the Japanese a little more than they are. But, with momentum building, a couple of the Japan three-quarter line get in a tangle and cross in front of one another, giving Scotland a chance to boot for touch.
35 min: Tatekawa again leads the Japanese backs into one of their cut and thrust attacks. Then the forwards take over, driving into the Scotland 22. They get to within five metres of the Scotland line, then Mafi makes a drive for the line. He can’t get through, and then, as the maul collapses on the try line, he has another go - this time by diving over the top. He doesn’t make it and Scotland are awarded a five metre scrum. Very good pressure from Japan, but stout defence from Scotland.
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33 min: Matsushima trots back on having served his 10 minutes. They’ve done admirably without him, with Scotland not scoring any points in his absence.
32 min: Tatekawa and Tamura run a series of crash balls and suddenly Japan are into the Scotland 22 and looking dangerous. The backs run rapier like runs at the Scottish defence, building nice phases and looking for the chink in the Scotland wall. But a forward pass ends their brief purple patch and Scotland win the scrum and kick for touch.
30 min: As Matsushima watches on ruefully from the sin bin, the Japanese full back slashes the ball wide of the left hand upright. The gap remains at five.
28 min: Scotland are penalised for an illegal drive across the scrum, and Japan are awarded the penalty inside the Scotland 22. To boos around the ground, they do the sensible thing and will kick for goal.
27 min: The Japan pack attempts to drive a maul forwards, but they’re all over the place. Eventually Tanaka figures he better chuck the ball down the line - but he knocks on as he picks it up. Scrum to Scotland and again Japan’s normally immaculate technique is questioned.
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26 min: Now The Shed erupts. Stuffed to the gills with Japan fans (who may actually be Gloucester fans in disguise), they bellow “Eeyore!” at Hogg, who fumbles a Japan kick. Japan win a penalty and, true to form, they elect not to kick for goal. Instead, Goromaru kicks for touch and Japan have a lineout in the middle of the Scotland 22.
24 min: He misses it. From the touchline on the left hand side of the pitch, he sends the ball across the face of the posts.
23 min: But now Japan attack: Tanaka, then Goromaru charge until Gilchrist overturns possession and Lamont goes careering up the wing. He could be in ... until Matsushima intervenes, concedes a penalty by playing the ball in the tackle on the ground and is sin-binned. Another kickable penalty for Laidlaw ahoy!
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22 min: There has been lots of rain in Gloucester and the pitch is cutting up a little. Is the going just a little heavy for Japan? The forwards have been unable to get the purchase they need in the scrum and their normally excellent technique is suffering. Scotland drive them back, forcing Japan to kick into the Scottish 22. Hogg tidies up and finds touch on the halfway line. Scotland have been quietly impressive so far - they’re not missed a tackle in 22 attempts.
PENALTY! (Laidlaw) Scotland 12-7 Japan
That was his toughest kick so far - long, with the wind tricky. He scrapes it home to maintain his 100% record.
19 min: Leitch drops another one in the wind, knocking the ball forward for his side’s fourth handling error of the match. It is windy, but they weren’t making these kinds of errors against the Springboks. From the scrum, Yamashita makes a hash of his binding - another penalty to Scotland. Laidlaw takes aim for the posts …
PENALTY! (Laidlaw) Scotland 9-7 Japan
With the wind swirling around, Laidlaw sends the ball between the posts for his third in three.
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16 min: Here’s our first piece of TMO action, with referee John Lacey calling for the Japanese hooker, Horie, to come under scrutiny. He appeared to make a tackle without using his arms, but the TMO doesn’t appear to know what the referee’s talking about. The ref’s right though and correctly awards a penalty against Japan. Laidlaw will kick for goal from just inside the Japan half.
TRY AND CONVERSION (Mafi + Goromaru)! Scotland 6-7 Japan
Japan get lucky. They’ve had virtually no possession and have barely ventured into the Scotland half. But from a penalty on the halfway line they kick for touch. The wind appears to have taken the ball over the deadball line but, no, Lacey says it is a lineout five metres out. They win their own ball and drive immaculately for the line, scattering Scotland forwards in their wake. Mafi is at the base of the maul and touches down. TRY!
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PENALTY! (Laidlaw) Scotland 6-0 Japan
Again, the scrum-half strokes the ball confidently through the posts. The cheer in the ground makes it clear this is not an entirely Japan-supporting crowd.
11 min: Again, a Denton drive sets up a Scotland break. Russell chips the ball up and over the Japan line, claims the ball and offloads to Scott who looks to burst through the remaining Japan defenders. But there’s a Japanese offside and Scotland have another chance to kick at goal.
10 min: Goromaru kicks long to clear but the ball finds Hogg. He hoofs an up and under high into the Gloucester air and is relieved when the Japan captain Leitch knocks the ball on in attempting to catch it. Scotland scrum just inside the Japan half.
8 min: The scrum goers down twice and the referee John Lacey blows for a penalty. Scotland kick for touch and find it 10 metres outside the Japan 22. Denton drives forward from the lineout, before Scotland miss a couple of men in the three-quarters and attempt to set Hogg free. There’s nothing doing, but Scotland continue to run it until Tommy Seymour spots an opening and dashes down the touchline. A foot in touch scuppers his burst though.
5 min: Laidlaw fumbles the tap down from a lineout and is caught. Japan turn the ball over and spread the ball wide to the left and then back again across the pitch. The Scottish defence is resolute, though, and Japan make only five metres before a knock-on stops play. Scotland scrum.
PENALTY! (Laidlaw) Scotland 3-0 Japan
2 min: No mistake from the scrum half, he eases the ball over the posts from the near the lefthand touchline.
2 min: Matsushima is caught deep in his own 22 and bundled into touch by Hogg. Scotland on the front foot in the early stages, and they win the lineout then a penalty when Yamashita is caught coming in at the side of a ruck.
Updated
Peep, peep!
Japan kick-off. Can Scotland force an upset?
One thing to note from that: a refreshing lack of fireworks, pyro, flame columns etc. Just 30-odd blokes singing their national anthems before a game of rugby. Just like it used to be.
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And here’s Kimi Ga Yo:
Singalong at home.
Here come the teams: Japan trot out to find a stadium full of fans in their (and Gloucester’s) colours of red and white. There’s not much dark blue - or at least not in the pictures I’m looking at. Right: anthem time.
The Scotland coach Vern Cotter is talking before the match. He says he always knew Japan were good and that he didn’t need to see the South Africa game to realise it. So, he says the Japan win hasn’t changed the Scottish approach but it has sharpened them up a little. His big tactical plan? If it’s all going wrong at half-time, we’ll do things “harder and faster” in the second half. OK.
The teams are just finishing their warm-ups on the pitch, Scotland have gone into a big group hug - the sort of thing they might need later if they get beaten this afternoon. The crowd are beginning to roar and there is no doubt whatsoever who they are roaring for …
Having not really noticed the World Cup before the weekend, the Japanese have now gone quite nuts for it. I have a rugby-following friend in Japan who was furious at the lack of coverage of the victory over South Africa in the immediate aftermath. “Our football team couldn’t beat Singapore and gets at least 10mins on the prime time news,” harrumphed Futoshi. “Wake up my fellow countrymen!!! We beat former world champion!!!”
Well, that’s changed. Japanese media crews are all over Kingsholm today, while there has been such demand for Japan merchandise the official Rugby World Cup shop on Oxford Street in London had to close after being swarmed.
Scotland have bravely named a couple of [former] South Africans in their team, perhaps offering up a sacrifice to the rugby gods. Josh Strauss and his beard, born in Western Cape and a product of Stellenbosch University (him, not the beard), became Scottish on Sunday and starts on the bench while Loeriesfontein’s Willem Nel qualified last month and will start his fourth match for Scotland at tighthead. No pressure lads.
The Scotland coach Vern Cotter is going into the match with his eyes wide open. “What we saw [in South Africa v Japan] was a committed and efficient Japanese team that made very few mistakes, applied pressure and as the game wore on became more and more confident,” he said . “They do well at surprising teams and I’m sure they have a few things prepared for us.”
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Does Eddie Jones think lightning can strike twice for Japan? You bet he does. He’s banking on his side being fitter than the Scottish one - and certainly seems to have been happy for his team to be on a Scottish diet, if reports that the Japan team celebrated their Sprinboks victory with a fish and chip feast are to be believed.
“If you look at Scotland’s scoring profile they are very heavily a first-half scoring team,” said Jones. “They get outscored consistently in the second half. We know we are a fit team so if we can stick with them in the first 30 minutes and we are in the game at half-time, we will run them off their feet. Are we fitter? Definitely. Definitely.”
He’s also well aware of Gloucester’s place in the firmament of English rugby and has not exactly been subtle in his attempts to court the locals. “The crucial part about any game played in Gloucester is that it’s one of the game’s great spiritual homes,” he cooed. “People in Gloucester know their rugby and we’ll get a bit of support because they normally wear red and white, so they can wear red and white tomorrow. No trouble. And we know that the English hate the Scots … ”
Still, Scotland have never lost to Japan and in four Tests have run up 33 tries and 221 points, beating them 100-8 in 2004. “People still think it was a fluke that we beat South Africa,” countered Jones. “So this is a great chance to prove that is wasn’t and that we get an early chance to front up against one of the great rugby nations coming to it on the end of a perfect preparation.”
Teams
Scotland: 15 Hogg; 14 Seymour, 13 Bennett, 12 Scott, 11 Lamont; 10 Russell, 9 Laidlaw*; 1 Dickinson, 2 Ford, 3 Nel, 4 Gilchrist, 5 J. Gray, 6 Wilson, 7 Hardie, 8 Denton
Replacements: Brown, Grant, Welsh, R Gray, Strauss, Pyrgos, Horne, Maitland.
Japan: 15 Goromaru, 14 Matsushima, 13 Sau, 12, Tamura, 11 Fukouka; 10 Tatekawa, 9 Tanaka; 1 Inagaki, 2 Horie, 3 Yamashita, 4 Thompson, 5 Ives, 6 Leitch*, 7 Broadhurst, 8 Mafi
Replacements: Kizu, Mikami, Hatakeyama, Makabe, Ito, Tui, Hiwasa, Hesketh
Preamble
Oh Scotland. Poor, poor Scotland. A World Cup close to home, an opening match against theoretically far weaker opponents, a reasonable expectation that they could be considered something like the ‘home’ team, and then Japan happen.
Scotland have nothing to win here, nothing but the match. With Japan now almost everyone’s second favourite side, and some people’s out-and-out favourites, Scotland are on a hiding to nothing. Hammer Japan, as people might have expected before the tournament started, and they will immediately become sport’s biggest killjoys. Match them, and they will be pilloried for not beating a team who they should beat - despite the fact Scotland are now below them in the world rankings. Lose, and they will simply be making everyone’s day. Let’s face it, this is a very Scotland place to be.
So with the entire world supporting Japan against them, what else could go wrong for Scotland? Well, they will be playing the Brave Blossoms at Kingsholm, English rugby’s other great headquarters and were thus unlikely to find too many fans among the crowd anyway. And there’s the fact Japan play in a strip remarkably similar to Gloucester’s, and have been already been lovingly adopted by the notoriously raucous Gloucester fans. And there’s also the slight issue that Japan’s Eddie Jones is one of the most notoriously canny coaches in world rugby, and that Scotland’s Vern Cotter is not.
Cotter has named a strong side to face Japan as he seeks to capitalise on Scotland’s recent improving form with an opening win against opponents who may not have recovered yet after Saturday’s heroics against South Africa. “We’ve prepared well for what will be a very tough Test against a powerful and fit Japanese team, who like to play a high-tempo game,” he reckons. “The priority for us is to ensure we get our jobs right with accuracy and impose ourselves on the game.”
That and ruin the fun of every single neutral rugby fan in the world.
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