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[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Japan Rugby Team Showing Signs of Growth Under Eddie Jones

Back-to-back wins at the Pacific Nations Cup, one in Vancouver and one in Saitama Prefecture, earned Japan a berth in the semifinals of the rugby tournament.

Published

4 days ago

September 15, 2024

Ed Odeven

Japan's Mamoru Harada dives across the try line in the second half against the United States in a Pacific Nations Cup Pool B match on September 7 in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture. (©KYODO)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Japan Rugby Team Showing Signs of Growth Under Eddie Jones

The Japan rugby national team's appearance in the Pacific Nations Cup semifinals is an indication that it is making progress in head coach Eddie Jones' reclamation project.

After the preliminary round of the competition, Pool B's Japan and Pool A's Fiji were the only unbeaten teams, owning identical 2-0 records.

Call it a step in the right direction for the Brave Blossoms, who have outscored their opponents 96-52 in the tournament.

Fiji booked a spot in the final by winning the first semifinal, held on Saturday, September 14 at Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, 22-3 against the United States.

The Brave Blossoms' semifinal match against Samoa, which had a 1-1 record in the preliminary round, was set to kick off at 3:05 PM on Sunday, September 15 at the same venue in the Japanese capital.

Japan and Samoa squared off in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France. Former Brave Blossoms boss Jamie Joseph guided the team to a 26-22 victory over Samoa.

Did you know that Japan won the Pacific Nations Cup for the third time in 2019?

A Dynamic Start for Japan in the Rugby Tournament

Japan made an impressive start at the Pacific Nations Cup on August 25, whipping Pool B opponent Canada 55-28 in Vancouver.

Canada trailed 31-0 at halftime.

The Brave Blossoms utilized their speed to seize control of the match.

Team Canada captain Lucas Rumball commented on this aspect of the one-sided match after the final whistle blew.

"(Japan) came in with an around-the-corner speed kind of game, and we didn't adjust quick enough," Rumball was quoted as saying by The Canadian Press.

The Brave Blossoms relied on a slew of players to amass 55 points.

Malo Tuitama had their first try in the fourth minute, with Warner Dearns scoring his first of two tries three minutes later.

Also scoring tries for Jones' squad were Kanji Shimokawa, Dylan Riley, Seungsin Lee, Jone Naikabula and Tomoki Osada.

It was the first win of Jones' second stint in charge of the Brave Blossoms. The well-traveled, 64-year-old rugby mentor previously coached Japan from 2012 to 2015. He returned to lead the Brave Blossoms in 2024 after helming the England and Australia squads in the years since 2015.

Jones challenged his players during the intermission against Canada, and he said they responded to the message.

"I spoke at halftime to the team and I said, 'Do we want to wait until next week to put things right or do we want to start now? Can we win the second half?' That was the challenge," Jones said, according to the Talking Rugby Union website.

"And we won the second half. Japan may have taken their foot off the gas a little bit, but I’m really proud of the players, the way they stuck at it."

A Second Win for the Brave Blossoms

Next, Japan took on the United States in another Pool B match on September 7 at Saitama Prefecture's Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.

After building a 24-10 advantage by halftime, the Brave Blossoms triumphed 41-24.

Five players scored tries for Japan in the convincing victory: Nicholas McCurran (14th minute), Sanaila Waqa (22nd), Mamoru Harada (39th), Riley (44th) and Tuitama (66th).

After Japan's second consecutive win in as many matches at the rugby tournament, Jones spoke about the team's performance and its development.

"They [the United States] keep coming," Jones told reporters, adding, "They're a good, physical team with some good young players coming through.

"We've got a really young team and consistency is the thing for us," he added, according to Kyodo News. "You saw today, we had really good parts of the game [and] not-so-good parts. But now we've put two reasonable games together."

Remaining Tournament Schedule

The third-place match is set for Sunday, September 22 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Hanazono, Osaka Prefecture. Kickoff is 4 PM.

After that, the semifinal winners will clash in the Pacific Nations Cup final on the same day, starting at 7:05 at the same stadium.

Continue reading the full story, which also includes news items on soccer, baseball and more, on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.