Scotland 45 Japan 10
So the rarest comet at a rugby World Cup fades from view. Giant toppling Japan were drained by the hour mark. Scotland sensed it. Then they lost Tongan number eight Amanaki Lelei Mafi, the engine of their offence, and the briefest dream was heavily dented by unfair scheduling reality.
The four day turnaround will be glossed over after this so it must not be ignored. One of those days was spent travelling after somehow beating the most punishing rugby nation on earth and then Japan were expected to sustain Vern Cotter’s sprightly Scottish onslaught.
“I felt we had them at half-time if I’m being honest,” said Greig Laidlaw, captain and points gathering machine. “They managed to just hold us out before half-time. They started to blow. We started to put them under pressure.”
The smiling head of Eddie Jones refused to accept time frames as an excuse. It was important to ask him whether it’s humanly possible to sustain the intensity needed to down South Africa four days later.
“On today’s evidence, no,” Jones replied.
“Of course it’s difficult. You look at everything involved, in any sort of physiology you need a six day turnaround but you got to accept it, suck it up. We play a high energy game as you can see. The boys need a bit of a break now.”
Nine days until Samoa who play South Africa on Saturday.
“If we knock Samoa off we have a fantastic chance (of making the quarter-finals).
“Hopefully Samoa and South Africa at the weekend is like a UFC match and they just belt each other up. That’s what we are hoping for. A bit of the old Springbok power coming forward. Then it will be interesting as Samoa have to back up seven days later against us.
“What comes around goes around.”
Mafi’s last act on a rugby field, perhaps for some time, was another charge into the Scotland 22. He needed stretchering off this Gloucester paddock with a possible hip problem. The score was 12-7 due to Laidlaw’s four penalties from varying angles after John Lacey’s letter of the law refereeing had Japan in early arrears.
Mafi’s endeavour earned another of last weekend’s heroes, fullback Ayumu Goromaru the chance to make it 12-10. It felt like a real game.
Gorodmaru’s perfect tackle on the stroke of half-time denied Tommy Seymour a certain try.
Then they started to blow.
“Mafi was a big loss for us,” Jones admitted. “He is a rare talent.
Two years ago he was playing second division university rugby. He’s an unbelievable talent, he’s only played about five top league games in Japan. He was denting the Scotland line so to lose him was difficult but you got to be good enough to get over that.”
At least their seven points was a maul of beauty. A brief reprise of the thrilling organisation and faith in Eddie Jones’ coaching that felled Springbok oak four days ago.
It’s so unfair. Two top tier nations in half a week. No tournament, no sport can prove the legitimacy of such scheduling. Japan, like Romania, weren’t allowed a genuine chance at tearing down established towers.
But they continue to thrill. On 14 minutes they won a penalty, kicked to touch and marched their maul over Scotland’s try line. Mafi rose from the crumble of bodies and blew a kiss to the cherry and white crowd - half locals in Gloucester garb half Japanese visitors. The Scots also journeyed south to swell the crowd to 14,354.
This old rugby town embraced them all.
But that was the most Japan could muster. They did dominate Scotland for periods of the first 40 only lacking the accuracy to build an essential lead.
Laidlaw did just that.
It all felt so cruel but Scotland delivered as Mark Bennett showed his brilliance with two tries, the second after spinning, accelerating and stepping through the Japanese cover. All sandwiched between an 80 metre Seymour intercept and Finn Russell’s darting break off a now dominant Scottish scrum.
By then it was no longer a genuine test match. The administrators saw to that.
Sky Sports asked Eddie for a solution. He smiled and gave the simple, logical answer: “First game was Friday so play the first game on Thursday, move everything forward, spread the games a little bit more and you don’t have those turnarounds.”
Sky Sports asked Eddie why that isn’t already happening: “Probably because of television. Ask the television people. I’m not an administrator thank goodness, I’m just a silly rugby coach.”
Scoring sequence - 2 mins: G Laidlaw pen, 3-0ll; 12 mins: G Laidlaw en, 6-0; 14 mins: AL Mafi try, 6-5; A Goromaru con, 6-7; 17 mins: G Laidlaw pen, 9-7; 20 mins: G Laidlaw pen, 12-7. Half-time. 46 mins: A Goromaru pen, 12-10; 49 mins: J Hardie try, 17-10; 55 mins: M Bennett try, 22-10; G Laidlaw con, 24-10; 63 mins: T Seymour try, 29-10; G Laidlaw con, 31-10; 69 mins: M Bennett try, 36-10; G Laidlaw con, 38-10; 73 mins: F Russell try, 43-10; G Laidlaw con, 45-10.
Scotland: S Hogg; T Seymour, M Bennett, M Scott, S Lamount; F Russell, G Laidlaw (capt); A Dickinson, R Ford, WP Nel; G Gilchrist, J Gray; R Wilson, J Hardie, D Denton. Replacements: R Gray for G Gilchrist (49 mins), J Strauss for R Wilson (57 mins), S Maitland for S Hogg (F Brown for R Ford, J Welsh for WP Nel (both 69 mins), P Horne for M Bennett (71 mins).
Japan: A Goromaru; K Matsushima, M Sa'u, Y Tamura, K Fukuoka; H Tatekawa, F Tanaka; K Inagaki, S Horie, H Yamashita; L Thompson, J Ives; M Leitch (capt), M Broadhurst, AL Mafi. Replacements: M Mikami for K Inagaki (half-time), H Tui for AL Mafi (45 mins, inj), K Hatakeyama for H Yamashita (52 mins), S Makabe for J Ives (60 mins), S Ito for L Thompson, A Hiwasa for F Tanaka (both 64 mins), T Kizu for S Horie, K Hesketh for H Tatekawa (both 72 mins).
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland).
