Seven-time Asian 5 Nations champions Japan kicked off the inaugural Asia Rugby Championship with a win against Korea in a high-scoring match in Incheon.
Eddie Jones' side eventually found another gear in the second half to add six tries to the three they notched up in the first half to prevail by 56-30 at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Ground. But it was the locals who were perhaps more deserving of the standing ovation given to both teams at the end of an entertaining game played in ideal conditions.
The Koreans led 17-3 after just 15 minutes and trailed by just two points at half-time as they shocked the Brave Blossoms with their tenacity at the breakdown and in the tackle.
Jang Seong Min led the way with two tries in the space of four minutes and the full-back was ably supported by Lee Myung Jun, who was outstanding at scrum-half, and his half-back partner Oh Youn Hyung, who kicked three conversions and three penalties and did more than his fair share of tackling.
“The players really gave 100 per cent in the first half,” said Korea coach Chung Hyung Suk. “I was very confident Jang would be able to show his ability and I thought Lee gave even more than 100 per cent, especially as he was playing with a shoulder injury.”
"We were a bit rusty both individually and as a team, and sloppy for most parts of the game"
Ayumu Goromaru had opened the scoring with a penalty in the second minute, before the Jang, Lee, Oh show rattled the visitors. But the Brave Blossoms aren't Asia's representatives at Rugby World Cup 2015 for nothing, and Hayden Hopgood and debutant Chihito Matsui both crossed before referee Tim Baker rewarded a period of pressure with a penalty try as Japan eventually took the lead, to make it 22-20 at the break.
“We were a bit rusty both individually and as a team, and sloppy for most parts of the game,” Jones said afterwards. “Korea played well for the first 30 minutes and we gave them some points which got their spirits up. They were physical and tackled well.”
Choice words
Following a few choice words from Jones at half-time about improving their attitude, Japan came out a different team and Karne Hesketh – one of their better players on what was a fairly disappointing day – dotted down six minutes after play resumed, with Yoshikazu Fujita and Yu Tamura following him onto the scoresheet as Japan went 37-23 up.
The Koreans, however, weren't down and centre Kim Nam Uk beat five defenders to go over in the 68th minute to rejuvenate the crowd. But their hopes of an upset or even a bonus point were dashed as Hopgood, Ryu Koliniasi Holani and Justin Ives all touched down in the final nine minutes, with Goromaru finishing the day with four conversions to add to his early penalty.
“To be honest the only thing I was really disappointed in was the attitude,” Jones said. “Before the game I thought we would either play really well for 20 minutes or not play well. And unfortunately it was the second,” though he added that in terms of his side's World Cup preparations, “this was the best game we could have had.”
Japan leap to the top of the table with their 29th bonus point win since the start of the Asian 5 Nations in 2008, but the result had no impact on the World Rugby Rankings with Japan still in 11th position and Korea 24th.
Hong Kong, the third side in the new tri-nations style tournament, enter the fray next Saturday when they host Korea at Hong Football Club before travelling to Japan on 2 May. Korea will have their second chance to beat Japan in the new home and away format when they travel to Fukuoka on 10 May.
Brave Brazil prove tough nut to crack
Like Japan, fellow Rugby World Cup 2015 competitors Uruguay were made to work hard for victory before racking up a big score against Brazil in the second match of the South American Championship.
While Uruguay kicked off the CONSUR Cup qualifying tournament with a routine 77-3 win over Paraguay last weekend, Saturday’s game at the Estadio Charrua in Montevideo was evenly contested for the best part of an hour.
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Brazil led 9-8 after half an hour and only trailed by 12 points with a quarter of the match to go, but Los Teros picked up the pace in the latter stages to score four tries in the final 11 minutes and win 48-9.
Uruguay winger Jeronimo Etcheverry added to his 32-point haul from the win over Paraguay by kicking his side into a second-minute lead. But that strike was quickly cancelled out by Brazil fly-half Rafael Morales with the first of his three first-half penalty goals.
Morales’ opposite number, Manuel Blengio, scored the first try of the match on 18 minutes before Brazil’s No.10 intervened twice more to put his side in front for the first time in the match. Etcheverry, however, reclaimed the lead with his second penalty and then converted full-back Rodrigo Silva’s try to send Uruguay into the break 18-9 up.
After a scoreless third quarter, Blengio kicked two penalties to extend Uruguay’s advantage to 15 points before they made the game safe with a brace of tries from replacement Santiago Gibernau, either side of an effort from fellow bench man Agustin Alonso, and a score at the death by scrum-half Alejo Duran.
Los Teros will remain in 20th place in the World Rugby Rankings while Brazil, despite being beaten, move up a place to 35th as a direct result of Poland losing rankings points following their defeat to Belgium in the European Nations Cup 2016 Division 1B.
Photo credits: Kenji Demura / RJP (main) and Sofía Balda / URU
