TEST RUGBY RESULTS: Saturday 27 April

27.04.2012
Japan 38, Hong Kong 0 in Hong Kong (WCQ Asia 5 Nations)
Chile 38, Brazil 22 in Temuca (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A
Argentina 29, Uruguay 18 in Montevideo (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A)
Lithuania 15, Croatia 14 in Vilnius (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)

JAPAN 38, HONG KONG 0 World Cup Qualifying Asia; Asia Five Nations

Brave Hong Kong holds the line against Japan in 38-0 loss in Week Two of HSBC A5N Top 5

[Hong Kong, April 27 2013]: A brave and spirited defensive effort from Hong Kong frustrated Japan but was not enough to thwart the Asian champions from registering a second consecutive victory in the HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Top Five competition at Hong Kong Football Club yesterday.

Japan ran in six tries, four in the second half, to win a momentous struggle 38-0 and keep their unbeaten record in this tournament – now in its sixth year – clean.

“It was a tough game, we expected it,” said Japan head coach Eddie Jones. “But what today’s performance showed was that we have a lot of work to do. This is after all only our second game this season.”

Hong Kong deserved a lot of credit for a gutsy defence that held Japan to just 14-0 at the break. And they didn’t let-up in the second half, reaching the hourly mark having only conceded a third try.

Japan flyhalf Kosei ONO scores one of only 2 tries in the first half (38th minute) versus HKG in today's HSBC A5N Top 5 clash.

The high work-rate of Hong Kong back-row trio of Pale Tauti, Matt Lamming and Alex Baddeley, plus ironclad defence in midfield from centres Stewart Megaw and David Whiteford, with skipper and fullback Tom McColl leading the way proved a tough obstacle for Japan to overcome.

“It was a gutsy effort from the guys,” said Hong Kong skipper McColl. “We knew Japan would come out and throw the ball around and we knew that we would have to defend our hearts out, and we did just that. I’m happy with our execution in defence but not so much with our attack.”

Hong Kong captain Tom McColl gives Japan wing Yuta Imamura the slip in their HSBC A5N Top 5 match.

It was only in the last quarter that Japan was able to show their fluency with right wing and captain Toshiaki Hirose grabbing a brace in the space of four minutes before reserve winger Yoshikazu Fujita sealed the result with a try at the end.

The outcome of the battle between a team of professionals, Japan, and part-time players, Hong Kong, was never in doubt. But it was a shot in the arm for the home team who tackled their hearts out, putting in a massive 124 tackles to Japan’s 39.

“It was a courageous test of fortitude,” said Hong Kong head coach Leigh Jones. “One of the key areas was the breakdown and we managed to slow down their ball.”

Japan scored 18 tries in their opener against the Philippines a week ago but Hong Kong superbly shut them down and the lack of quality ball prevented the Brave Blossoms from playing the expansive game they wanted.

But Japan’s Jones was satisfied. He said: “This was the type of game we wanted. Last week we ran in a lot of tries against the Philippines we didn’t do as much today but even though our execution wasn’t flash, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. We still scored 38 points and scored six tries while not conceding any points. That is good enough for me.”

Hong Kong centre Stuart Megaw tries to wrangle his counterpart Male Sa'u to the ground in the HSBC A5N Top 5 match between Hong Kong and Japan.

The United Arab Emirates seem to be the team in danger of being relegated from the Top Five this year after they lost their second successive match, going down 75-10 to South Korea in Al Ain on Friday.

UAE will face Japan next week and then round off their campaign against the Philippines, a match which is likely to decide the team to carry the wooden spoon and be relegated into Division One next year thus making way for Sri Lanka in 2014.

It was an impressive start for South Korea, runners-up last year, who ran in 10 tries including four from winger Kim Kwong-min. Korea has 11 of its national players featuring in the Japan Top League and these professionals made a significant contribution as they overpowered UAE in all facets of the game.

ARGENTINA v URUGUAY: World Cup Qualifying Americas; CONSUR A

27.04.2013
Argentina v Uruguay in Montevideo

Preview
Argentina has already qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup finals. The team that comes second will qualify for the repechage section. That team will play the loser of the USA-Canada series to be played later in the year. The winner of that game goes directly to the World Cup finals.

The team from Argentina will officially be classed as a test side and all the fixtures will be regarded as test matches. This is despite the fact the following Argentine players were not considered; The elite squad, the Jaguars (Argentina A) and the Pampas XV (the side that plays in the South African domestic series. In effect this will Argentina’s 4th side.

This could mean that Uruguay has a chance of winning this game. Last year they lost 5-40 to Argentina in the first round, then defeated Chile by 1 point before defeating Brazil 27-15. However it is most likely that this Argentine side will end up with more pace and skill that their Latin American neighbours. I would expect the result to be closer than last year.

Prediction: Argentina by 20 points

TEAMS

Argentina:
1- Ignacio Saenz Lancuba, 2- Mauricio Guidone, 3- Matías Díaz; 4- Tomas Lavanini, 5- Cesar Fruttero; 6- Francisco Panessi, 7- Fidel Lamy, 8- Santiago Rocchia; 9- Santiago Mendéz (C), 10- Sebastián Poet; 11- German Schultz, 12- Juan Cappiello, 13- Joaquín Paz (Cordoba Athletic), 14- Dan Isaack, 15- Tomas Carrio
Subs: 16- Santiago Iglesias, 17- Santiago García Botta, 18- Tomás Gilardon, 19- Tomás Borghi, 20- Martín Chiappesoni, 21- Pedro Imhoff, 22- Patricio Fernández, 23- Santiago Alvarez.

Uruguay:
1- Rodolfo De Mula, 2- Arturo Ávalo (C), 3- Óscar Durán; 4- Mathías Palomeque, 5- Alejandro Nieto; 6- Juan De Freitas, 7- Santiago Vilaseca, 8- Diego Magno; 9- Agustín Ormaechea, 10- Alejo Duran; 11- Leandro Leivas, 12- Rodrigo Martinez, 13- Santiago Gibernau, 14- Andrñes Vilaseca, 15- Jeroino Etcheverry.
Subs: –Not yet known

Teams thanks to ‘victorsra’ at http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4262&start=60

CHILE v BRAZIL: WORLD CUP QUALIFYING, AMERICAS: CONSUR A

27.04.2013
Chile v Brazil in Temuca (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A

Preview
The final leg of the first round of World Cup qualifying matches begins in South America. CONSUR is the organising body for that region.

Brazil retained its place in CONSUR A after defeating Paraguay, the winner of CONSUR B, last September.

The Brazilians, rather strangely, begin this tournament with a flight to Chile to play the local side. I say strange because all the other games are in Montevideo. This gives a huge home advantage to the one team Brazil is more likely to defeat,

Brazil had a warm up test series a week ago against Mexico at home. Brazil won both tests 50-14 and 76-5.

Chile will be a far more difficult opposition, especially at home. Last year the Brazilians pushed Chile before losing 6-19. Playing their second string side the Brazilians were thumped 110-0 by Argentina. Brazil then put in a desperate effort against Uruguay, finally losing 15-27. Their aim will be to win one game either against Chile or Uruguay.

Prediction: Chile by 10 points

TEAMS

Chile:
1 Francisco Deformes 2 Manuel Gurruchaga 3 Sergio de la Fuente 4 Matías Cabrera 5 Pablo Huete 6 Rolando Pellerano, 7 Benjamin Soto 8 Rodrigo Tobar (C) 9 Juan Pablo Perrotta, 10 Francisco Cruz, 11 Mauricio Urrutia, 12 José Larenas, 13 Felipe Brangier, 14 Francisco Neira 15 Javier Valderrama.
Subs: 16 Felipe Diaz, 17 Renzo Bacigalupo, 18 Roberto Oyarzun, 19 Allan Guillof, 20 Simon Pardakhty, 21 Atilio Menichetti, 22 Pedro Verschae, 23 Felipe Porter.

Brasil:
1 Lucas Abud, 2 Daniel Danilewicz "Nativo" (C) 3 Jardel Vettorato, 4 Lucas Croffi, 5 Lucas Piero "Bruxinho", 6 João Luiz da Ros "Ige" 7 Matheus Daniel "Matias" 8 Diego Lopez "Diegão" 9 Leandro Castiglione "Leco" 10 Lucas Duque "Tanque" 11 Lucas Tranquez "Zé", 12 Daniel Gregg 13 Moisés Duque 14 Gustavo Krahembuhl "Ogum" 15 Matheus Silva "Tcheus".
Subs: 16 Jardel Mendonça "Cocão" 17 Jonatas Paulo "Chabal" 18 Saulo Oliveira, 19 Danilo Taino "Camisa" 20 João Dias Neto "Torosso" 21 Pedro Lopes "Pedrinho" 22 Marcos Cervi "Grampola" 23 Leonardo Frota "Leozão".

Line ups thanks to ‘victorsra’ at http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4262&start=60

Argentina v Uruguay in Montevideo (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A)

CROATIA v LITHUANIA : World Cup Qualifying Europe R3; ENC 2A

27.04.2013

Venue: Vingio regbio stadione, Vilnius

Referee: Vladimir Volovik (Russia)

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	BT	BL	PT
NETHERL.	4	4	0	0	125	57	68	2	0	18
SWITZ.	4	3	0	1	92	75	17	1	0	13
MALTA	4	1	0	3	74	104	-30	1	1	6
CROATIA	3	1	0	2	64	77	-13	1	0	5
LTHUANIA	3	0	0	3	54	95	-41	0	0	0

Preview
Although this rugby test match is officially a World Cup qualifying match neither team will take further part in the qualifying process. The Netherlands, who topped this division’s points table, has already qualified for the next round. For both teams it’s about surviving in this division.

Both sides hold up the bottom of the points table. Relegation is not decided until the end of the next round, played 2013-14. It is vital to both sides that they win and haul themselves up the table.

Lithuania has slipped somewhat from the heady days when they held the world record for most consecutive wins in test rugby and gained promotion twice over two competitions in the European Nations Cup competition. They have found this division tough. Their fame drew players away to English clubs a lucrative contracts. Getting players released for this season’s games has been difficult.

Looking at the Lithuanian squad just received they look to have a full squad. I expect them to be very difficult to defeat at home. With their backs to the wall the Lithuanians will want to end the season on a high note.

Croatia has pushed competition leaders Netherlands and Switzerland in recent games and could well gain a valuable away win in the Baltic republic.

Previous Encounters
05.05.2012 Lithuania 28-26 in Vilnius (ENC 2A)
07.05.2011 Lithuania 29-12 in Split (ENC 2A)

Lithuania Last Five P 5, W 2, L 3
13.04.2013 v Switzerland L 21-37 in Nyon (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
10.11.2012 v Netherlands L 16-24 in Vilnius (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
03.11.2012 v Malta L 17-34 in Valletta (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
05.05.2012 v Croatia W 28-26 in Vilnius (ENC 2A)
28.04.2012 v Latvia W 48-8 in Riga (ENC 2A)

Croatia Last Five P 5, W 2, L 3
20.04.2013 v Netherlands L 24-29 in Zagreb (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
03.11.2012 v Switzerland L 20-29 in Nyon (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
27.10.2012 v Malta W 20-19 in Makarska (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)
26.05.2012 v Andorra W 44-8 in Andorra La Vela (ENC 2A Playoff)
05.05.2012 v Lithuania L 26-28 in Vilnius (ENC 2A)

GWC Rugby Rankings
Europe Table: Lithuania 22nd, Croatia 23rd

IRB Ranking Points
Lithuania 46.77, Croatia 46.74

Prediction: Lithuania by 14 points

TEAMS

Croatia Squad

Ayoub (Australian Club)

Brown (New Zealand Club)

Bubrić (RK Nada)

Bulat (RK Mladost)

Burazin (RK Nada)

Buzov (RK Nada)

Čorić (RK Nada)

Čulić (RK Nada)

Draženović (RK Mladost)

Grčić (RK Sinj)

Ivančić (RK Nada)

Jurčević (RK Nada)

Jureško (RK Zagreb)

Jurišić (RK Mladost)

Lerotić (RK Nada)

Mijić (RK Zagreb)

Oxenham (RK Mladost)

Ožić (New Zealand Club)

Popović (RK Nada)

Sekovanec (RK Mladost)

Slaviček M. (RK Zagreb)

Tvrdić (RK Sinj)

Ujaković (Belgian Club)

http://www.nada-rugby.hr/nadanew/hrvatska/seniorirepka/1407-litva-hrvatska-najava.html

Lithuania Squad

1 Augustinas Terleckas (Vilnius VRA)

2 Ignas Darkintis (Ordizia RC, Spain)

3 Tomas Zuokas (Washington, USA)

4 Mindaugas Norvaišas (Lithuania exiles, London, UK)

5 Karolis Navickas (Bordeaux "Begles", France)

6 Vaidotas Gaubas (Šiauliai "BaltRex")

7 Andrius Martinskas (Enköpings RK, Sweden)

8 Nerijus Mačiulis (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

9 Mindaugas Misevičius (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

10 Kęstutis Marcišauskas (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

11 Andrius Sutkus (Šiauliai "BaltRex")

12 Gediminas Marcišauskas (Peterborough Lions RUFC, England)

13 Mantautas Vilimavičius (Peterborough Lions RUFC, England)

14 Donatas Vilimavičius (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

15 Justas Vasiliauskas (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

16 Tomas Gabrielaitis (Šiauliai "BaltRex")

17 Justas Poškus (RK Šiauliai)

18 Julius Sutkus (Šiauliai "BaltRex")

19 Gediminas Švoba (Šiauliai "BaltRex")

20 Gediminas Liutkus (Enköpings RK, Sweden)

21 Evaldas Štitilis (Šiauliai "Vairas-Jupoja")

22 Mantas Maršantas (University of Derby, England)

23 Edmundas Grybauskas (Vilnius VRA)

Thanks to ‘Ignas Rugby.lt ‘ at http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4321

JAPAN v HONG KONG: World Cup Qualifying, Asia Five Nations

27.04.2012

Venue: Hong Kong Football Club Grounds

Referee: Aaron Littlewood (Singapore)

Preview (From Saturday’s post)

’Japan head coach Eddie Jones has not unsurprisingly tinkered little with the side that beat the Philippines 121-0 last week. Jones named a 23-man squad that shows just three changes and one positional switch from the side that set an HSBC A5N scoring record in Fukuoka last weekend.

The lone change in the backs sees Yuta Imamura come in for Hirotoki Onozawa, who limped out of last week's game and the rest of the tournament with a leg injury. Jones said Imamura had impressed in training and with Kenki Fukuoka - who marked his debut last week with two tries - nursing a tender hamstring, his experience earned him the nod ahead of Yoshikazu Fujita.

 

Fujita, who will start the game on the bench, scored six tries on his debut last year against the United Arab Emirates before missing the rest of the international season and the 2012-13 domestic season with a knee injury. Fujita was named the 2012 HSBC A5N Emerging Player of the Year last season for his remarkable debut prior to his injury.

Recently, Fujita toured Australia and New Zealand with Junior Japan and Jones thinks he is now has a better understanding of what is needed to play international rugby.

"He either started or came off the bench for most of Junior Japan's recent games and has worked pretty hard the last couple of weeks," said Jones.

In the pack, Takeshi Kizu comes into the starting XV, having missed last week's game, while Hendrik Tui is promoted from the bench.

"Kizu wasn't quite right to go last week," Jones said. "We wanted to give him an extra week as he gives us extra size and is very robust around the ruck, which will be useful.”

Tui and Ryu Koliniasi Holani swap roles with Jones stressing that Holani did well last week, but he just wants to give Tui more playing time.  "Koli played very well last week and will come off the bench. Tui wasn't 100 percent last week but he needs time in that position," Jones explained.

The move also means Takashi Kikutani moves from flanker to his preferred position of No. 8. Jones said he was pleased with the way his side started the tournament last week, especially given the weather, but added he was looking for an improvement this week particularly in terms of physicality.

"Given the conditions last week, we played really well and it showed how hard the players have been working," he said. "We looked much better than we did in our opener last year and in the second half moved the ball really well."

With Japan rapidly achieving mid-season form, damage limitation may be the number one priority for Hong Kong. The home team readily admitted that the fully professional Japan Brave Blossoms were in a class of their own and that stopping Japan for the first time in the five-year history of the tournament would be difficult.

 

“It is hugely important for the players to pit themselves against the best in Asia which is Japan. But as a fully professional team, they are at a different level to us and I’m not sure the playing field is really level at this moment,” said Hong Kong head coach Leigh Jones.

 

Japan has piled on half-century scores over Hong Kong on all but one occasion in the last five years – the closest game being a 45-22 result in 2011.  Hong Kong captain Tom McColl has set his sights on emulating that feat, which also came at the Hong Kong Football Club, while hoping his side can go one better and compete for the full game, instead of only the second half as they did two years ago.

 

In 2011, Japan led Hong Kong 31-3 at the break but a revitalised home team came fighting back after the break to outscore the visitors by three tries to two to finish on 45-22 and proud losers.

 

“The aim is to put in an 80-minute performance,” said McColl. “If we can come away having accomplished our own targets and processes, I will be happy. We have set our own benchmark and if we come anywhere close to that, the score will take care of itself.”

 

It is almost a mission impossible for Hong Kong who will be missing all of its sevens players currently preparing for the London Sevens and Hong Kong’s bid to become a core team on the IRB Sevens World Series.

 

Backline problems have been exacerbated by the absence of fly-half Chris McAdam who has been ruled out of the competition after breaking his ribs in Hong Kong’s 53-7 victory over the United Arab Emirates last Saturday.  This will push Niall Rowark into the limelight and he will team up with Peter McKee as Hong Kong field a new halves combination against Japan.

 

“The thing about world rugby is that it throws up players through injuries. Niall has been given the chance and it is up to him to grasp this opportunity,” said Leigh Jones.

 

But the loss of McAdam, whose strength, apart from his accuracy with his left foot, was his tackling, will be felt as Hong Kong try to stop Japan’s try-scoring machine which ran in 18 tries against the Philippines.

 

Hong Kong have also made a few tactical changes, mainly up-front, which coach Jones said was implemented to make the forwards more mobile and to be able to contest the breakdown which they failed to do consistently against the UAE.

 

“We are looking for more consistency. Last week we had some good moments and some ordinary moments. We will have to be at our best as we test ourselves against the best in Asia,” Jones added.

The Brave Blossoms are only scratching the surface of a 10-tests in 10-weeks schedule but are cagey enough not to look past Hong Kong - especially at home.

“I was reasonably satisfied against the Philippines but obviously the opposition was not quite at the same level. We are expecting a physical challenge from Hong Kong whom we respect greatly. We will have to do the hard yards,” Japan’s Jones said.

Japan captain and winger Toshiaki Hirose added: “Two years ago we didn’t play well in the second half against Hong Kong and we have come back this time determined to play 80 minutes of rugby. This is the most important game for us in the A5N.”’

 

Thanks to media esa mediaesa@elitestep.com

 

Prediction: Japan by 70 points

 

Japan

15-Ayumu Goromaru (Yamaha Jubilo) 21 tests

14-(c) Toshiaki Hirose (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 9

13-Male Sau (Yamaha Jubilo) 1

12-Harumichi Tatekawa (Kubota Spears) 10

11-Yuta Imamura (Kobelco Steelers) 33

10-Kosei Ono (Suntory Sungoliath) 15

9-Atsushi Hiwasa (Suntory Sungoliath) 18

8-Takashi Kikutani (Toyota Verblitz) 54

7-Michael Broadhurst (Ricoh Black Rams) 3

6-Hendrik Tui (Suntory Sungoliath) 5  

5-Shinya Makabe (Suntory Sungoliath) 10

4-Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 64

3-Hiroshi Yamashita (Kobelco Steelers) 16

2- Takeshi Kizu (Kobelco Steelers) 14

1-Masataka Mikami (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 1

Replacements

16-Yusuke Aoki (Suntory Sungoliath) 23

17-Takuma Asahara (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 1

18-Kensuke Hatakeyama (Suntory Sungoliath) 37

19-Shoji Ito (Kobelco Steelers) 8

20-Justin Ives (Canon Eagles) 9

21-Ryu Koliniasi Holani (Panasonic Wild Knights) 23

22-Yu Tamura (NEC Green Rockets) 4

23-Yoshikazu Fujita (Waseda University) 1

Head Coach: Eddie Jones

http://sakura.rugby-japan.jp/japan/2013/id19251.html

 

Hong Kong

15. Thomas McCill (capt)

14. Alastair Maclay

13. David Whiteford

12. Stewart Megaw

11. John Rees

10. Niall Rowark

9. Peter McKee

8. Pale Tauti

7. Matthew Lamming

6. Alexander Baddeley

5. William Hunt

4. Charles French

3. James Cooper

2. Alexander Harris

1. Wei, Leon

Replacements
16. Stephen Nolan

17. Thomas Bolland

18. Daniel Watson

19. Matthew Stockdale

20. Charles Cheung

21. Michael Glancy

22. Sebastien Alfonsi

Head Coach: Leigh Jones

media esa mediaesa@elitestep.com

KOREA 75, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 10

Played Friday 26th April

(34-10 HALF-TIME)
KOR 10T, 8C,3P
UAE 1T, 1C, 1P (Try from Harry Woods, Con and Pen from Ross Coombe)
Source - Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportingWag

Review at http://www.asian5nations.com/node/795 with all point scorers

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING ASIA: Asia Five Nations Week 2

HSBC Asian 5 Nations week 2 pits Hong Kong v red-hot Japan while UAE hosts South Korea on its 2013 debut

[Hong Kong, April 26 2013]: The HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) opens the second week of the five-team, five-week competition tonight as UAE host South Korea in Al Ain (17.00 UAE time) while Hong Kong hosts red-hot Japan on Saturday (April 27) at the Hong Kong Football Club (16.00 Hong Kong time).

 

Japan head coach Eddie Jones has not unsurprisingly tinkered little with the side that beat the Philippines 121-0 last week. Jones named a 23-man squad that shows just three changes and one positional switch from the side that set an HSBC A5N scoring record in Fukuoka last weekend.

 

The lone change in the backs sees Yuta Imamura come in for Hirotoki Onozawa, who limped out of last week's game and the rest of the tournament with a leg injury. Jones said Imamura had impressed in training and with Kenki Fukuoka - who marked his debut last week with two tries - nursing a tender hamstring, his experience earned him the nod ahead of Yoshikazu Fujita.

 

Fujita, who will start the game on the bench, scored six tries on his debut last year against the United Arab Emirates before missing the rest of the international season and the 2012-13 domestic season with a knee injury. Fujita was named the 2012 HSBC A5N Emerging Player of the Year last season for his remarkable debut prior to his injury.

Recently, Fujita toured Australia and New Zealand with Junior Japan and Jones thinks he is now has a better understanding of what is needed to play international rugby.

"He either started or came off the bench for most of Junior Japan's recent games and has worked pretty hard the last couple of weeks," said Jones.

In the pack, Takeshi Kizu comes into the starting XV, having missed last week's game, while Hendrik Tui is promoted from the bench.

"Kizu wasn't quite right to go last week," Jones said. "We wanted to give him an extra week as he gives us extra size and is very robust around the ruck, which will be useful.”

Tui and Ryu Koliniasi Holani swap roles with Jones stressing that Holani did well last week, but he just wants to give Tui more playing time.  "Koli played very well last week and will come off the bench. Tui wasn't 100 percent last week but he needs time in that position," Jones explained.

The move also means Takashi Kikutani moves from flanker to his preferred position of No. 8. Jones said he was pleased with the way his side started the tournament last week, especially given the weather, but added he was looking for an improvement this week particularly in terms of physicality.

"Given the conditions last week, we played really well and it showed how hard the players have been working," he said. "We looked much better than we did in our opener last year and in the second half moved the ball really well."

With Japan rapidly achieving mid-season form, damage limitation may be the number one priority for Hong Kong. The home team readily admitted that the fully professional Japan Brave Blossoms were in a class of their own and that stopping Japan for the first time in the five-year history of the tournament would be difficult.

 

“It is hugely important for the players to pit themselves against the best in Asia which is Japan. But as a fully professional team, they are at a different level to us and I’m not sure the playing field is really level at this moment,” said Hong Kong head coach Leigh Jones.

 

Japan has piled on half-century scores over Hong Kong on all but one occasion in the last five years – the closest game being a 45-22 result in 2011.  Hong Kong captain Tom McColl has set his sights on emulating that feat, which also came at the Hong Kong Football Club, while hoping his side can go one better and compete for the full game, instead of only the second half as they did two years ago.

 

In 2011, Japan led Hong Kong 31-3 at the break but a revitalised home team came fighting back after the break to outscore the visitors by three tries to two to finish on 45-22 and proud losers.

 

“The aim is to put in an 80-minute performance,” said McColl. “If we can come away having accomplished our own targets and processes, I will be happy. We have set our own benchmark and if we come anywhere close to that, the score will take care of itself.”

 

It is almost a mission impossible for Hong Kong who will be missing all of its sevens players currently preparing for the London Sevens and Hong Kong’s bid to become a core team on the IRB Sevens World Series.

 

Backline problems have been exacerbated by the absence of fly-half Chris McAdam who has been ruled out of the competition after breaking his ribs in Hong Kong’s 53-7 victory over the United Arab Emirates last Saturday.  This will push Niall Rowark into the limelight and he will team up with Peter McKee as Hong Kong field a new halves combination against Japan.

 

“The thing about world rugby is that it throws up players through injuries. Niall has been given the chance and it is up to him to grasp this opportunity,” said Leigh Jones.

 

But the loss of McAdam, whose strength, apart from his accuracy with his left foot, was his tackling, will be felt as Hong Kong try to stop Japan’s try-scoring machine which ran in 18 tries against the Philippines.

 

Hong Kong have also made a few tactical changes, mainly up-front, which coach Jones said was implemented to make the forwards more mobile and to be able to contest the breakdown which they failed to do consistently against the UAE.

 

“We are looking for more consistency. Last week we had some good moments and some ordinary moments. We will have to be at our best as we test ourselves against the best in Asia,” Jones added.

The Brave Blossoms are only scratching the surface of a 10-tests in 10-weeks schedule but are cagey enough not to look past Hong Kong - especially at home.

“I was reasonably satisfied against the Philippines but obviously the opposition was not quite at the same level. We are expecting a physical challenge from Hong Kong whom we respect greatly. We will have to do the hard yards,” Japan’s Jones said.

Japan captain and winger Toshiaki Hirose added: “Two years ago we didn’t play well in the second half against Hong Kong and we have come back this time determined to play 80 minutes of rugby. This is the most important game for us in the A5N.”

 

Hirose’s estimation could be radically altered by the results of tonight’s match in Al Ain as the hosts UAE look to regroup after their 53-7 loss to Hong Kong last week against a well-stocked South Korean XV that includes 11 players with Top League experience in Japan.

 

South Korea are fielding a strong side on their HSBC A5N 2013 debut with 11 of their Japan-based professional players in the wider squad.  Eight Top League (Japan’s professional league) players are included in the 23 against the UAE.  Coach Park Ki-haeng has gone for his big men with the front row consisting of Top league stars Kim Kwang-sik (NEC), Park Sung Ku (Kubota) and Heo Woong (NTT-Docomo). 

 

Behind the front row, Top League veterans Youn Kwon-woo (Yokogawa) and Panasonic’s You Young Nam (who captains the side for the first time in an A5N encounter from flanker) add further weight and nous as Korea aims to nullify the UAE’s traditional forward pack strength. The backline is made up mostly of domestic-based players with Top League scrumhalf Yang Young Hun (Honda) and Lim Jae Beom (Samsung) ready in the reserves.

 

In response, the UAE have put forward its strongest team yet in this year’s competition.  Duncan Hall, UAE Rugby Performance Manager and National Coach hailed a positive performance by his team in the opening round, despite their loss.

“Although the scoreboard doesn’t reflect the effort in the opening round, the players put in a positive and confident performance. A number of combinations we have worked on were executed successfully. We achieved a number of turnovers, our defence was strong and our scrums were dominant. Ultimately, our respective fitness levels came into play in the final quarter of the game where, unfortunately Hong Kong held the upper hand,” added Hall.

With Friday’s game being played at home Hall has the benefit of selecting from an almost full complement of players, and remains optimistic with his goal of a win over the Korean side.

“A number of our key players were either unavailable for travel against Hong Kong or recovering from injury so to have a complement of over 90% to draw from for Korea is an advantage. We successfully challenged Hong Kong on a number of fronts. This building experience was invaluable as we move ahead in this year’s campaign. We believe we can put in a strong performance against Korea.”

Notable changes in the UAE team are the inclusion of Al Ain Amblers player Ross Combe, Harry Woods, Sean Hurley and the return of Renier Els as Captain, who step in at the expense of David Knight, Gareth Armstrong, Kenny Munier and James Ham (due to injury).

UAE v South Korea (April 26, Al Ain RFC, kick-off 17.00 local time)

Hong Kong v Japan (27 April, Hong Kong Football Club, kick-off 16.00 local time)

edia esa mediaesa@elitestep.com

TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND Saturday 27 April

27.04.2012
Japan v Hong Kong in Hong Kong (WCQ Asia 5 Nations)
Korea v United Arab Emirates in Dubai (WCQ Asia 5 Nations)
Chile v Brazil in Temuca (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A
Argentina v Uruguay in Montevideo (WCQ Americas; CONSUR A)
Croatia v Lithuania in Vilnius (WCQ Europe R3; ENC 2A)

Briefly
The Asia Five Nations/World Cup Qualifying fixtures continue this weekend. Japan faces Hong Kong away whilst Korea travels to the Middle East to play United Arab Emirates. This will be Korea’s first game in the competition for 2013, Japan and Hong Kong already registering wins last weekend.

Another World Cup Qualifying series gets underway this weekend as well. Although Argentina has already qualified there is a repechage position up for grans for the side that comes second. That side will play the loser of the USA-Canada series. And that side goes to the World Cup finals in 2015. So there is plenty to play for between Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.

Finally Croatia plays Lithuania in one of the final European Nations Cup matches for the 2012-13 season. The result has no bearing on the fact that the Netherlands has won the ENC 2A section.

RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER: Vol.10, No.17

Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013

RiJ covers the opening round of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 this issue with Japan enjoying a 121-0 win over the new boys the Philippines while Hong Kong had a 53-7 win over the UAE at home.

Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp

CONTENTS

• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Overview and schedule
• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Team Profiles
• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Week 1 Preview and wrap

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013

This year is the sixth edition of the HSBC Asian Five Nations with Japan having won all five previous Top Five tournaments. In 2013 Japan kick off the defence of their title against the newest team to play in the top division in the form of the Philippines in Fukuoka on Saturday 20 April before travelling to Hong Kong the following weekend to face hosts Hong Kong as the only other side to have played in all six tournaments. Japan then return home to take on Korea who were runners-up in 2012 in Tokyo on Saturday 4 May in their third game and then finish off the series with an away game to the United Arab Emirates in a Friday game on 10 May 2013.

Top Five Previous Champions
2012: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2011: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2010: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2009: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2008: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 Schedule and Results

Week	Date	Team	Score	Team	Kick-off	Venue
1	Saturday 20 April 2013	Japan	121-0	Philippines	14:00	Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka
		Hong Kong	53-7	UAE	14:00	Hong Kong Football Club
		Korea bye
2	Friday 26 April 2013	UAE	-	Korea	17:00	Al Ain RFC, Al Ain
	Saturday 27 April 2013	Hong Kong	-	Japan	18:00	Hong Kong Football Club
		Philippines bye
3	Saturday 04 May 2013	Japan	-	Korea	14:00	Chichibu, Tokyo
		Philippines	-	Hong Kong	19:00	Rizal Stadium, Manila
		UAE bye
4	Friday 10 May 2013	UAE	-	Japan	20:00	The Sevens, Dubai
	Saturday 11 May 2013	Korea	-	Philippines	12:00	Ansan Wa Stadium, Ansan
		Hong Kong bye
5	Saturday 18 May 2013	Korea	-	Hong Kong	12:00	Ansan Wa Stadium, Ansan
		Philippines	-	UAE	19:00	Rizal Stadium, Manila
		Japan bye

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 Table

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	4TBP	LBP	Pts
Japan	1	1	0	0	121	0	121	1	0	6
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0	53	7	46	1	0	6
UAE	1	0	0	1	7	53	-46	0	0	0
Philippines	1	0	0	1	0	121	-121	0	0	0
Korea

Five points for win, three points for draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries or more and one for losing by seven points or less.

Top 5 Team Profiles

 

Japan

Top 5 History
2012: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2011: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2010: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2009: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2008: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).

Japan as the dominant force in Asian rugby is still yet to taste defeat in the HSBC Asian Five Nations tournament after claiming the title over the first five years of the competition. In 2013, Japan are again the team to beat with former Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones now in his second year in charge. Jones has kept Toshiba wing Toshiaki Hirose as the national team captain and with a long season ahead, including the tour to Japan by Wales, Japan will be keen to make a statement in the A5N.

South Korea

Top 5 History
2012: Second (17 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).
2011: Did not play.
2010: Fifth (2 points from 4 losses). Relegated to Division 1 for 2011.
2009: Third (13 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2008: Second (18 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).

In days gone by, South Korea were traditionally viewed as the second strongest team in Asia behind Japan, born out by the fact that they regularly beat their neighbours, particularly in the ARFU Asian Championship. Without too many surprises, Korea finished second in the inaugural HSBC Asian Five Nations in 2008 with three wins and one loss but then continued to fall off the pace in subsequent years finishing last in 2010 and were relegated back to Division 1 for 2011. Ultimately they fought their way back into the top division to finish runner-up in 2012. Korean rugby still has a lot to prove but with more and more senior players gaining valuable experience playing in the Japan Rugby Top League year after year they should have the wherewithal to push every side they play.

Hong Kong

Top 5 History
2012:Third (13 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2011: Second (17 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).
2010: Third (12 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2009: Fourth (8 points from 1 win and 3 losses).
2008:Third (11 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).

Along with Japan, Hong Kong are the only other side to have played in all five editions of the top division of the HSBC Asian Five Nations. A close two-point home loss to Korea last season prevented Hong Kong from again finishing second on the table but under Welshman Dai Rees as head coach they will be looking to remedy that situation in 2013. Hong Kong are at home to the UAE and Japan over the opening two weeks of the tournament and then go on the road to play the Philippines and Korea to finish off their campaign.

United Arab Emirates

Top 5 History
2012: Fourth (6 points from 1 win and 3 losses).
2011: Third (8 points from 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses).
2010: Fourth (10 points from 2 wins and 2 losses). NB: played as Arabian Gulf.
2009: Did not play.
2008: Fifth (1 point from 4 losses). Relegated to Division 1 for 2009. NB: played as Arabian Gulf.

Rugby in the Gulf region was reorganised at the completion of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2010 with The Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) being disbanded in favour of individual national Unions. The IRB governance restructure which came into effect on 1 January 2011 after a two year transition period saw the phasing out of AGRFU for autonomous national bodies. The first Union established, The United Arab Emirates Rugby Association (UAERA), became a member of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) in 2010 and participated in the Top Five division in the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2011 in place of the now defunct Arabian Gulf. UAE rugby continues to grow with the sport receiving official sports federation status in the Emirates while also attaining IRB membership status.

Philippines

Top 5 History
2012: Did not play.
2011: Did not play.
2010: Did not play.
2009: Did not play.
2008: Did not play.

The Philippines are playing in Top Five for the first time in 2013 building on unparalleled success over recent years. The Volcanoes, as they are known, are the biggest improvers in the Asian rugby scene with only one loss in five years through the divisions of the Asian Five Nations. Australian coach matt Cullen will have his charges primed to play the rugby of their lives in what promises to be an exciting time for rugby in the Philippines.

Week One Preview and Wrap

Japan 121 d Philippines 0

Date: Saturday 20 April 2013
Venue: Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:05

The opening game of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 pits two contrasting teams against each other when the Philippines travel to Fukuoka to face the might of Japan. Japan are five-times reigning champions in this competition while this will be the first ever game in Top Five for the Volcanoes. The task will be a daunting one for the visitors but they will be keen to show the big boys in Asian rugby what they are made of. This test will also be the first meeting between Japan and the Philippines at international level.

The Philippines head coach Jarrod Hodges put it in a nutshell when he said that Japan were too big, too strong and too fast as the five-times reigning HSBC Asian Five Nations champions ran in eighteen unanswered tries to post a record high 121-0 win in this tournament. The fact that the games was played in cold, drizzly conditions in Fukuoka did not help the cause of the underdogs, but in the first ever test match played between these two countries this was always a game Japan were going to win and win well. Japan now move on to play Hong Kong away next week while the Philippines have the bye.

Hong Kong 53 d United Arab Emirates 7
Date: Saturday 20 April 2013
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club
Kick-off: 14:00

In the corresponding game last season, the United Arab Emirates hosted Hong Kong at The Sevens in Dubai with the visitors winning 85-10. The year before that, Hong Kong enjoyed an emphatic 62-3 win in Hong Kong in the closing game of the tournament and so recent history is not on the side of UAE. The UAE have a tough challenge to retain their place in Top Five and that challenge starts with an away game to Hong Kong. On the other hand, the hosts will be wanting to come out of the blocks fast and secure maximum points in a game they are expected to win.

Despite the impressive 53-7 scoreline and eight tries to one victory over the UAE, Hong Kong captain Tom McColl and coach Leigh Jones were still critical of their efforts. “I’m happy with the win but our execution was not up to our standard,” said captain McColl after the win while Jones made the following comment, “I’m not happy at all with our performance but we have to give credit to the UAE for their nuggetty and tough defence which put us under a lot of pressure.” Hong Kong led 27-7 at halftime and three tries late in the latter half blew out the final margin. Hong Kong were without a number of their Sevens players for their opening game in the A5N, but two tries each to wing Jonny Rees and centre Stewart Megaw along with further five-pointers to flanker Matt Lamming, fullback McColl, centre Ally Maclay and replacement halfback Pete McKee did the job for the hosts. Five conversions and a penalty completed the scoring for Hong Kong while No8 Brett Williams was the lone try scorer for the UAE with five-eighth James Ham adding the conversion.

Bye: South Korea.

Japan 121 d The Philippines 0

Japan 121 – Tries: Hitoshi Ono 2, Ryu Koliniasi Holani, 2, Harumichi Tatekawa 2, Male Sau 2, Kenki Fukuoka 2, Michael Broadhurst, Shinya Makabe, Hirotoki Onozawa, Masataka Mikami, Takuma Asahara, Ayumu Goromaru, Kensuke Hatakeyama, Yusuke Aoki; Conversions: Ayumu Goromaru 14; Penalty: Ayumu Goromaru d.

The Philippines 0.

Competition: HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013.
Date: Saturday 20 April 2013.
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka.
Japan Test Number: 283.
Japan Game Number: TBC.
Kick-off: 14:05 local Japan time (06:05 GMT).
Referee: Dewi Rowlands (Hong Kong); Assistant Referees: Warren Needham (Hong Kong) and Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong).

Conditions: Forecast maximum for Fukuoka 14 degrees Celsius. Drizzly rain. Surface well covered but wet and slightly soft.

Attendance: 2,681.
Halftime: Japan 43 – The Philippines 0.

Head-to-head Encounters:
These two teams had never met before

Japan (IRB rank 15 (70.09), at 15 April 2013)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Masataka MIKAMI	Toshiba Brave Lupus	24	178/113	1
2	Hiroki YUHARA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	29	173/105	10
3	Hiroshi YAMASHITA	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	27	183/120	16
4	Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba Brave Lupus	34	192/102	64
5	Shinya MAKABE	Suntory Sungoliath	26	192/110	10
6	Takeshi KIKUTANI	Toyota Verblitz	33	187/100	54
7	Michael BROADHURST	Ricoh Black Rams	26	196/110	3
8	Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI	Panasonic Wild Knights	31	188/111	23
9	Atsushi HIWASA	Suntory Sungoliath	25	166/71	18
10	Kosei ONO	Suntory Sungoliath	26	171/82	15
11	Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory Sungoliath	35	180/85	77
12	Harumichi TATEKAWA	Kubota Spears	23	181/93	10
13	Male SAU	Yamaha Jubilo	25	183/98	1
14	Toshiaki HIROSE (c)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	31	173/80	11
15	Ayumu GOROMARU	Yamaha Jubilo	27	185/96	21
16	Yusuke AOKI	Suntory Sungoliath	29	176/95	23
17	Takuma ASAHARA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	25	179/114	1
18	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory Sungoliath	27	178/116	37
19	Shoji ITO	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	32	191/100	8
20	Justin IVES	Canon Eagles	28	196/100	9
21	Hendrik TUI	Panasonic Wild Knights	25	189/100	5
22	Yu TAMURA	NEC Green Rockets	24	181/88	4
23	Kenki FUKUOKA	Tsukuba University	20	175/83	1

Head Coach: Eddie Jones (AUS). (10^th test as head coach, for 7 wins and 3 losses)

Subs
16 subbed 2, 12 min 2H.
17 subbed 1, 21 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 18 min 2H.
19 subbed 4, 18 min 2H.
20 subbed 5, 21 min 2H.
21 subbed 8, 7 min 2H.
22 subbed 10, 18 min 2H.
23 subbed 11, 9 min 2H.

NB: The IRB announced a number of global law amendment trials to start on 1 September 2012 in the northern hemisphere and 1 January in the southern hemisphere. One of these amendments is to permit international teams to nominate up to eight replacements.

The Philippines (IRB rank 56 (44.34), at 15 April 2013)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Austin Dacanay	Tampa Krewe RFC (USA)	36	177/105
2	Michael Duhig	Brothers RFC (AUS)	27	176/100
3	Matthew Bellenie	Brighton RFC (ENG)	23	185/130
4	Stephen Howarth	St Austell RFC (ENG)	22	187/107
5	Jaime Urquijo	Kraken RFC (USA)	24	183/102
6	Terrence Carroll	Wests Bulldogs (AUS)	21	187/98
7	Christopher Hitch	Warnervale (AUS)	24	175/93
8	Jake Ward	Clifton (NZL)	23	183/100
9	James Price	Kyuden Voltex (JPN)	27	166/80
10	Gareth Holgate	Kyuden Voltex (JPN)	25	179/86
11	Joseph Matthews	Queanbeyan Whites (AUS)	30	175/83
12	Justin Coveney	Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (JPN)	27	182/101
13	Patrice Olivier	Yamaha Jubilo (JPN)	23	191/98
14	Matthew Saunders	NTT Communications (JPN)	24	176/90
15	Michael Letts (c)	Kamaishi Seawaves (JPN)	30	190/92
16	David Robinson-Polkey	Mt Wellington RFC (NZL)	33	177/112
17	Graeme Hagan	Pattaya Panthers (Thailand)	25	180/94
18	Joshua Bautista	Santa Rosa (USA)	37	188/122
19	David Feeney	Manila Nomads	28	190/100
20	Darran Seeto	Gordon Highlanders (AUS)	30	176/85
21	Jake Letts	Kamaishi Seawaves (JPN)	25	178/84
22	Alexander Aronson	Olde Gaels (USA)	32	181/88
23	Jefferey Gregson	Coventry RFC (RNG)	24	182/90

Team Manager: Philip Gittus.
Head Coach: Jarred Hodges (AUS).
Assistant Coach: Stuart Woodhouse.

Subs
16 subbed 1, 9 min 2H.
17 subbed 2, 9 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 27 min 2H.
19 subbed 8, 27 min 1H.
20 subbed 4, 22 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 27 min 2H.
22 subbed 12, 22 min 2H.
23 subbed 11, 14 min 2H.

Sources:
Statistics for Japan and the Philippines from RiJ database and JRFU website.

Japan and the Philippines played their first official test at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka, Japan on Saturday 20 April 2013 in the opening game of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 with the hosts claiming an emphatic 121-0 victory in what was the biggest score posted in the history of this tournament

Japan are gunning for their sixth straight A5N title and against the newly promoted Philippines the reigning champions had too much firepower right across the board running in eighteen unanswered tries. Played in cold, drizzly rain, the Philippines kicked off this inaugural international encounter against Japan with the hosts going on the front foot from the outset. The conditions played their part in the early clashes with the slippery ball leading to a number of scrums. However, Japan played to the conditions and in their first test since the successful tour of Europe last autumn with wins over Romania and Georgia they gradually blew out the cobwebs.

Japan posted first points with a penalty to fullback Ayumu Goromaru in the seventh minute with veteran lock Hitoshi Ono then crossing for the opening try in the 12^th minute. Goromaru added the conversion for an early 10-0 lead and although the Volcanoes five-eighth Gareth Holgate failed with two penalty attempts the visitors were staying with their more fancied rivals over the opening stages. However, after the first quarter of the match was played the sting started to go out of the Philippine defence and the bigger Japanese forwards took firm control. New Zealand born openside flanker Michael Broadhurst in his first run-on start for Japan was next to touch down in the 21^st minute followed by a double to No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani in the 28^th and 32^nd minutes with inside centre Harumichi Tatekawa scoring in the 35^th minute and test debutant in Male Sau at outside centre crossing the whitewash in the 38^th minute to complete the scoring in the opening period. Goromaru slotted five of six conversions to have the home side out to a handsome 43-0 lead by the halftime break.

Japan stayed on the offensive as the second half got under way with Suntory lock Shinya Makabe scoring in the opening minute of the half. Veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa was next to put his name on the scoresheet when he scored his fifty-fourth test try in the sixth minute but unfortunately a leg strain sustained in scoring the try forced him from the field a few minutes later. Nevertheless, the Japanese machine rolled on with lock Ono crossing for his second five-pointer in the 11^th minute. The 20-year-old rookie Kenki Fukuoka was on the left wing for Onozawa and he ran in his first test points in the 13^th minute in an introduction to test match rugby reminiscent of the feats of Yoshikazu Fujita who scored six tries in his test debut against the UAE on this ground last May. It was another test debutant to score next when loosehead prop Masataka Mikami from Toshiba Brave Lupus scored in the 16^th minute followed by Fukuoka grabbing a double in the 21^st minute. Although the test was well and truly won, Japan kept up the pressure on the tired Philippine defence over the final quarter with replacement prop Takuma Asahara getting a try on debut in the 22^nd minute before Goromaru also got in on the try scoring act a few minutes later. The other replacement prop in the form of Kensuke Hatakeyama added another five points to his test point tally in the 29^th minute before Tatekawa crossed for his second try of the afternoon in the 31^st minute while replacement hooker Yusuke Aoki scored in the 34^th minute. Just like in the first half, centre Sau closed out the latter half with a try in the penultimate minute of play with the Goromaru conversion bringing down the curtain on the impressive 121-0 win for Japan.

It was a good day at the office for Goromaru who scored a try to go with the fourteen conversions and one penalty he kicked to give him a personal tally of thirty-six points from the test to take him over the 200 point mark in international rugby.

In a game in which Japan were always expected to win and win well, head coach Eddie Jones said after the match, “It was a good performance first up. But it’s always difficult to tell given the level of the opposition. We have been working on getting physically stronger and you saw a little of that today.”

Compatriot Jarrod Hodges who is in charge of the Philippines commented, “Japan are the benchmark in Asian rugby and they showed us what it takes to be at this level. They were too big, too strong and too fast.”

The Volcanoes captain in fullback Michael Letts added, “I cannot fault the team’s effort. We will learn from that and I can tell you now we will be a completely different side for our next three games.”