Clunky Japan win with Bonus Point

In the first game of the Rugby World Cup 2019, we were graced with a firestarter of a game, following a classic opening ceremony. Japan were hot favourites to run riot with 4 players, including Micheal Leitch, who had played a key part in the miracle of Brighton.

Japan of course did win, defeating lowest seeds Russia, 30 points to 10. However it was a far from convincing win with Russia leading up to the final minutes of the first half. The Russian try which led to the lead definitely summarised the first half for Japan, and to some extent Russia.

A kick from Russian Winger Golosnitsky, was hammered down to the Japan 22. However, poor positioning meant the ball fell short of the Japanese player, probably focussed on Golosnitsky who was bearing down on him. The kick bounced short and away from Japan, with the Russians momentum pulling him onto the board.

The overall lack of fluidity and the general clunkiness can also be explained through statistics,with only 0.6 points per attack opportunity. The fear within the team to make a mistake was perhaps best shown when they finally broke the shackles, leading to Matsushima’s first of three tries.

The offload from Timothy Lafaele showed just how dangerous the Japanese will be when they cut loose. The finish as well has really shown the intensity. It will be interesting to see how they adapt in future, and whether they will show more of this flair.

However the general attack from Japan limited this flair, especially in the first half. They surrendered a massive 92.6% of possession from kicks, and overall lost possession 80% of the time with only 20% of their attacks resulting in a follow on. 

So there is a lot to see from Japan and while we saw, some flashes of brilliance, the reliance on kicking and the basic errors restricted Japan from the full throttle dismantling that was expected.

Overall, the Rugbycology rank showed this, with Japan scoring 27. But more importantly it shows the fight that Russia put up with a ranking of only -15.2. A sloppy and clunky Japan put them away but not without a struggle rated in the rankings and most importantly on the scoreboard with only a 20 point win.