The Tragedy of the Rising Sun

Japan are out. Heartbreak.

Before the tournament everyone was talking about the Pool of Death. England are out with two wins over the lesser ranked teams. Nobody without their head up their Anglophilic backsides cares. But Pool B, expected to be a walk in the park for the South Africa and Samoa was blown wide open by the Brave Blossoms. The bitter ending which prevents their story turning into a fairytale, is that even with three wins in the tournament, they are going home. It’s a cruel fate. Unavoidable in an increasingly competitive tournament, but cruel nevertheless.

How did this happen?

It happened with Scotland and South Africa also winning three games in the competition. These wins give each team 12 points. However, South Africa also scored two losing bonus points against Japan, and obtained bonus points in their wins against Samoa and the USA giving them a total of 12 + 4 = 16. Scotland scored a bonus point in their 45 – 10 defeat of Japan and also against the US.

But for Japan, they have a right to feel aggrieved. Their turn around from the win over South Africa was only 3 days, to face a fresh Scottish side. They played on Saturday and then again on Wednesday against to big physical teams. At half time there was only 2 points in it against Scotland then the lack of recovery broke the brilliant Mafi who had carried 90 metres in 45 minutes and was knocking Scotland back. His injury filliped Scotland who also profited while their lead was at 17-10 from a blatant cock up from the horrendous John Lacey. He chose not to refer Mark Bennet’s first try, which to the naked eye, seemed obviously over the dead ball line and on the still pictures confirmed as so.

It was the score that put Scotland two scores up and then broke the will of the Japanese team, in addition to the schedule breaking their bodies. The scheduling is a different debate, for a different forum.

Even so, in Saturday’s must win game for Scotland, they came up against a Samoa side which had finally decided to turn up. Shorn of Tuilagi’s power on the wing the Samoans nevertheless used their upfront physicality and got on the boards early. Laidlaw’s boot and some horrendous passing by Samoa kept Scotland in the game. Nevertheless, the shocking Jaco Peyper missed a blatant knock on for Laidlaw’s final try. That score took Scotland to their eventual 3 point winning margin. Samoa also had a try disallowed by the TMO for an off the ball holding back of Laidlaw who had no chance of stopping a barge from big prop Ma’afu. It was a pedantic intervention by the TMO who stayed suspiciously silent against Japan. The same TMO intervened to sent Ryan Wilson to the bin for an innocuous flick of the boot while being held back. It was ridiculous.
Samoa have reason to be disgruntled.

Japan even more so. Even if the Japanese had got their bonus point against Samoa or USA, it still wouldn’t have mattered as being tied with Scotland on 14 would have seen the Thistles go through on the head to head. What is annoying for a team that played such quality rugby, and had some of the tournament’s outstanding players in Michael Leitch, Fumiaki Tanaka, Amanaki Mafi, Horie and Ayumu Goramaru – is that a team that has been unspectacular and profiting from laughable refereeing will go through.

Eddie Jones and the Blossoms are being big about it. About how inspiring they have been for the tournament. They have. Outstanding, in fact. They’ve shown technique and panache that more fancied teams have not been able to muster. Their strength and conditioning has been second to none. They were dealt some cruel blows by fate, and in true Japanese fashion they are bowing respectfully in its face.

I, on the other hand, am going to be petty and recalcitrant on their behalf.