TEST RUGBY: JAPAN STEAMROLL UAE IN WEEK 4 OF HSBC ASIAN 5 NATIONS

PRESS RELEASE

[DUBAI, MAY 13 2011]: Coach John Kirwan said that he was looking for a complete performance from his Rugby World Cup-bound Japan side and 111 points later he had it. Japan’s 111-nil blitz of the United Arab Emirates made it 15 of 15 wins in the HSBC Asian Five Nations for team Japan.

In perfect conditions on a beautifully manicured pitch at 7he Sevens, Japan hit its straps to put the game effectively out of reach from the opening whistle. Japan took just three minutes to notch its first try to James Arlidge, who racked up an impressive 29 points through the try and 12 conversions.

Four other Brave Blossoms recorded double figures, including centre Ryan Nicholas who picked up three tries and a conversion for 17 points. Shaun Webb came off the bench at centre to notch two tries for 10 points, while Kosuke Endo starting his first game of the A5N in 2011 picked up a brace of tries for 10 points. Last year, Endo famously scored five tries in a single HSBC A5N match versus Korea in Daegu and it looked as if his tournament record was in jeopardy as winger Takeshi Usuzuki notched four tries today for 20 points. Fullback Go Aruga celebrated his return to test match rugby after 15 months with a try.

Match captain Hitoshi Ono crossed over, as did his locking partner Justin Ives, who was a late replacement for Luke Thompson who fell ill this morning. No. 8 Ryukoliniasi Holani and flanker Takashi Kikutani each added a try to complete the forward’s scoring in a performance that was nothing short of relentless.

Match captain Hitoshi Ono in action

Speaking after the game Japan coach John Kirwan said, “I am pleased with the performance, not just the result but moreso that we kept our structure throughout the game. The UAE has really improved over the last two seasons, but we really hit our straps tonight.”

Match captain Hitoshi Ono, one of several players in the team to have experienced personal loss in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan was given the captain’s armband tonight. Ono commented on the performance saying, “Tonight our team motto was ‘Gaman’ which means patience in Japanese. I am from Fukushima and I was very honoured that JK gave me the chance to lead the team.”

“We knew that if we were patient our results would come. By being patient as a team we were able to score even more points. I hope that tonight’s result will bring some joy to the people of Fukushima and all Japan and that they will take hope from this. With patience and courage, things will get better.”

The result sees Japan extend its unbeaten streak in the HSBC A5N to 15 and continued its record of securing a bonus point in every match it has played.

Japan now leads the Top 5 table with 18 points. Effectively all that remains to be settled in this year’s competition is who will finish as runners-up in the competition for the first time, Hong Kong or the UAE, who face off next weekend at the Hong Kong Football Club.

“Before tonight’s game we were a long way off from where we wanted to be,” said Kirwan, “But tonight’s result will give us confidence to keep working hard as a team. I am very happy with the team’s attitude but we still have a lot of work to do.”

That warning will be an ominous sign for Sri Lanka, who face a do-or-die match tomorrow in Almaty before returning to Colombo to host Japan in the final match of the HSBC Asian Five Nations Top 5 competition next week.

Half- time score: 0 – 57

Full- time score: 0 – 111

Jersey No.	Name	Event	Score
10	James Aldridge	Try	0 – 5
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 7
15	Go Aruga	Try	0 – 12
12	Ryan Nicholas	Try	0 – 17
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 19
14	Kosuke Endo	Try	0 – 24
12	Ryan Nicholas	Try	0 – 29
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 31
11	Takehisa Usuzuki	Try	0 – 36
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 38
4	Hitoshi Ono	Try	0 – 43
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 45
6	Takashi Kikutani	Try	0 – 50
14	Kosuke Endo	Try	0 – 55
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 57
Second Half
8	Ryukoliniasi Holani	Try	0 – 62
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 64
12	Ryan Nicholas	Try	0 – 69
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 71
11	Takehisa Usuzuki	Try	0 – 76
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 78
21	Shaun Webb	Try	0 – 83
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 85
5	Justin Ives	Try	0 – 90
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 92
11	Takehisa Usuzuki	Try	0 – 97
10	James Aldridge	Conversion	0 – 99
11	Takehisa Usuzuki	Try	0 – 104
21	Shaun Webb	Try	0 – 109
12	Ryan Nicholas	Conversion	0 – 111

 

Name	Country	Try	Conversion	Penalty	Total (pts)
James Aldridge	JPN	1	12		29
Go Aruga	JPN	1			5
Ryan Nicholas	JPN	3	1		17
Kosuke Endo	JPN	2			10
Takehisa Usuzuki	JPN	4			20
Hitoshi Ono	JPN	1			5
Takashi Kikutani	JPN	1			5
Ryukoliniasi Holani	JPN	1			5
Shaun Webb	JPN	2			10
Justin Ives	JPN	1			5