TOPS
Despite the last minute withdrawal of scrum half Yukata Nagare, Japan was able to count on a big night against Samoa (28-22) on Thursday in Toulouse. The replacement at number 9, Naito Saito, was present in the organization of the game. And what about his counterpart at number 10, Rikiya Matsuda. Very inspired, the Japanese striker showed diabolical precision with his feet (5/6) despite his first failure of the competition. His 13 points relieved his team at key moments. Enough to make certain more upscale nations jealous in this World Cup…
The evening’s defeat officially condemns their chances of qualifying, but Samoa had the merit of believing in it until the end. Trailing well and reduced to 14 in the 51st minute, Seilala Mapusua’s men gave up in the last quarter of an hour, suggesting an improbable reversal of the situation. The defensive bonus point rewards their combativeness, even if all the Samoan people were waiting for the joy of success before challenging England next Saturday.
Very effective offensively during the first act, the Japanese also added a touch of aesthetics to score their second try, starting from their own camp and flattened by veteran Michael Leitch. Between the initial breakthrough of the twirling Matsushima, the reversal of play and the skipped assist from Matsuda, everything was perfect. Without doubt one of the best tries of this World Cup!
FLOPS
In the first period, the intentions were there, but Manu Samoa were unable to materialize their domination in the score. The fault was two missed kicks by Leuila then Leali’ifano who left five points on the way. The fault also lies in bad choices in the zone of truth, like the chistera attempted and missed by Taumateine towards Lee a few meters from the goal or the decision to go into touch on several occasions without managing to conclude. While the Pacific Blues failed six points behind Japan at the finish, their poorly negotiated time weighed very heavily in the balance.
In a committed but good-spirited game, the red card logically given to Ben Lam for a head-to-head clash is a stain, especially since Japan could also have experienced the same sanction. Also guilty of a tackle too high, hooker Horie finally escaped with a simple yellow card after the bunker verdict. Like the Namibians on Wednesday against Uruguay, this type of gesture is (too) frequent in this World Cup, but the referees’ decisions differ depending on the situation. This Thursday evening at the Stadium, 80 minutes at 15 against 15 would perhaps have given an even more exciting end to the match. Ben Lam can bite his fingers…