How Japan gave hope to the world
The World Cup clash between Japan and South Africa was a game-changer of note, writes Martin Samuel.
|||London - England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Since 1995, that is the basic quarter-final line-up of the Rugby World Cup. If not all eight, then a good seven, or at least six.
Occasionally, there is a surprise. Western Samoa took Wales’s place in 1995 as did Fiji in 2007. Argentina defeated Ireland in a play-off in 1999, again at the group stage in 2007, and did for Scotland four years later. Yet, for the rest, it’s pretty plain sailing.
South Africa haven’t missed a quarter-final since first competing in 1995, nor England, France, New Zealand or Australia. It is what makes the pool stage of Rugby’s World Cup dull: 24 days of matches to decide that the best eight teams in the world are, yep, pretty much the same as last time.
And now this.
Japan’s defeat of South Africa, particularly the quite thrilling ambition of its final 10 minutes, is the game-changer. This could now be a watershed tournament, one that changes rugby in the eyes of the world. Japan are its Costa Rica, its Senegal, its Cameroon, its South Korea, its North Korea: the nations that altered the dynamic of international football, that opened it up, made every match a potential event. From here, anything is possible.
Not when the All Blacks play Namibia on Thursday, obviously. There will still be mismatches, as there always are in competition. Yet Japan gave rugby what it has previously been missing: the shock of the new. Georgia beat Tonga on Saturday, too, another sign of changing times - Tonga having defeated France in 2011.
This is the fourth Rugby World Cup for which Georgia have qualified and they are improving; 200 points conceded in 2003 had been reduced to 90 by 2011. A 78-point differential against England in their first tournament was cut to 31 in their last. In 2007, they lost 14-10 to Ireland, and 15-6 to Scotland in 2011. Getting closer. The Tonga victory, however, is a milestone and while it is fanciful to see them breaking into Pool C’s top two of New Zealand and Argentina, they should secure the third place, guaranteeing qualification for the 2019 tournament.
Vasil Lobzhanidze, the scrum-half, is the youngest player in Rugby World Cup history, the first 18-year-old to play in the tournament. Back rower Mamuka Gorgodze is with European champions Toulon, where he is known as Gorgodzilla.
Yet Japan? That was something else. It takes a special occasion to make Sir Clive Woodward tweet in the manner of a 15-year-old schoolgirl but his observation that this was “totally best game ever” just about sums it up. Not only for the win, but the way it was won, Japan turning down the chance of an easy penalty kick and a draw in overtime, to take the succession of gambles that ended in Karne Hesketh’s try.
And yes, beautiful Japanese name, as Al Murray’s pub landlord wouldn’t say. Japan are coached by Eddie Jones, an Australian with a Japanese mother, and a third of Saturday’s starting line-up were not born in the country, but that could happen with Wales and Scotland, too - and they have been rugby royalty a lot longer than the mighty Cherry Blossoms.
Japan now go again on Wednesday against Scotland, which shows the disadvantage of being an emerging rugby nation: established Scotland fresh as a daisy, second-tier Japan with just four days to recover from causing the biggest upset in World Cup history.
So that is the next stage: to have all nations created equal. International rugby must embrace the lesson of Japan’s success in future tournaments. Short-term, though, its effect is already momentous. Successful World Cups need three key elements to build momentum: hosts that get out of their group, high quality, memorable matches early on and shocks.
Japan have guaranteed two of those factors on the second day of competition. It is now up to Stuart Lancaster and England to cement what remains against Wales.
Daily Mail