Scotland v Japan, 23 September

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SCOTLAND V JAPAN
23 September 2015
KO: 14:30 BST
Kingsholm, Gloucester

Live on [tbc]

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Touch judges: George Clancy (Ireland) & Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

A. Head to Head

4 Played 4
4 Won 0
0 Drawn 0
0 Lost 4
221 Points 45

B. Recent Form

09 Nov 2013
Scotland 42 - 17 Japan
Murrayfield, Edinburgh

13 Nov 2004
Scotland 100 - 8 Japan
McDiarmid Park, Perth

12 Oct 2003
Scotland 32 - 11 Japan
Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville

05 Oct 1991
Scotland 47 - 9 Japan
Murrayfield, Edinburgh

C. Teams

SCOTLAND

15 Stuart Hogg
14 Tommy Seymour
13 Mark Bennett
12 Matt Scott
11 Sean Lamont
10 Finn Russell
09 Greig Laidlaw (c)

01 Ali Dickinson
02 Ross Ford
03 Willem Nel
04 Grant Gilchrist
05 Jonny Gray
06 Ryan Wilson
07 John Hardie
08 David Denton

16 Fraser Brown
17 Ryan Grant
18 Jon Welsh
19 Richie Gray
20 Joshua Strauss
21 Henry Pyrgos
22 Peter Horne
23 Sean Maitland

JAPAN

01- Keita Inagaki
02- Shota Horie
03- Hiroshi Yamashita
04- Luke Thompson
05- Justin Ives
06- Michael Leitch (captain)
07- Michael Broadhurst
08- Amanaki Mafi

09- Fumiaki Tanaka
10- Harumichi Tatekawa
11- Kenki Fukuoka
12- Yu Tamura
13- Male Sa'u
14- Kotaro Matsushima
15- Ayumu Goromaru

16- Takeshi Kizu
17- Masataka Mikami
18- Kensuke Hatakeyama
19- Shinya Makabe
20- Shoji Ito
21- Hendrik Tui
22- Atsushi Hiwasa
23- Karne Hesketh

Glasgow do alright and Edinburgh have done well in the past in Europe.

Scotland do incredibly well to be as competitive as we are:

Scotland adult playing numbers – 38,500
Japan adult playing numbers – 122,598

TMO TIME!

Come on lads, you are NOT minnows compared to Japan. You are one of the core nations that runs the global game no matter how badly you've adapted to professionalism!

Well played Scotland and welcome to RWC 2015.

LordDowlais wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:This isn't a Pro 12 only problem....

Pro12 refs are a country mile behind any of the other leagues refs.

Amazing that in a RWC game between Scotland and Japan, you can manage to try and bring Pro12 refs (Irish ones) into the discussion.

How about concentrating on the match instead?

Congrats Scotland - a resounding victory in the end for a first up match.

Onwards and upwards.

Scotland are minnows

NZ and Wales prove that playing numbers mean very little. Hell England too but in reverse.

Scotland are poorly run, but they're not minnows. They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

I really feel for Japan but I'd love to shout "get it right up ye" to Eddie Jones !

Dominant stuff from Scotland and sad to see Japan fade so badly.

I'd imagine Scotland v SA will be a beauty now.

yappysnap wrote: They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

Thats exactly what the difference between being a minnow and an established side is. Getting to play in the Six Nations, getting to host the Tri-nations teams in the autumn and getting competitive tours in the summer- as opposed to playing in the Pacific Nations Cup and struggling to get a decent test match arranged outside that.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:This isn't a Pro 12 only problem....

Pro12 refs are a country mile behind any of the other leagues refs.

Name these great refs in the other leagues?

Wayne Barnes for starters!

Delighted with the win.

It's a shame we won't get as much credit for it, given the (unfair) turnaround time Japan had, and yes it played a part especially in the last 20 mins, but it will do us a power of good to score 4 tries in a RWC game.

We should be able to rotate enough for our game against USA at the weekend.

yappysnap wrote:Scotland are minnows

NZ and Wales prove that playing numbers mean very little. Hell England too but in reverse.

Scotland are poorly run, but they're not minnows. They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

I'm not getting into this debate. We have 2 pro teams. Half that of Wales and Ireland. We may have a position of authority within the game but we are minnows in terms of playing pool.

Japan won a fan in me after saturday, but I have to add to the get it up ye Eddie Jones voices. Let your players do the talking on the pitch next time.

I actually thought Japan did well considering the huge disadvantage of having only 3 days of rest.

Scotland did what any side would do - played what was in front of them - as ruthlessly as possible. They have their own campaign to worry about and want to get their own rhythms going. They look sharp in attack despite the Japanese challenge in front of them during that second half.

Enjoy the win. Off to an ideal start.

mikey_dragon wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:This isn't a Pro 12 only problem....

Pro12 refs are a country mile behind any of the other leagues refs.

Name these great refs in the other leagues?

Wayne Barnes for starters!

You are kidding, Pearce is a much better ref than that shower for a start.

VinceWLB wrote:I actually thought Japan did well considering the huge disadvantage of having only 3 days of rest.

You'll be expecting the USA to beat is in 4 days then?

yappysnap wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Am I missing something, who cares about the 4 day turnaround? Are Scotland just to let Japan win since they have had a 4 day turnaround. Scotland need to be ruthless now.

I think you are missing something.

It's not up to Scotland to be nice. It's more that it's unfair that the organizers have hindered teams with these short turn arounds. Its the same for Fiji coming off their game against England and then having to shorten their prep to play Australia!

Not only is it tough on the minnows who already have an up hill battle, but it skews the results in the pool as these mid week games allow the top sides to pile on points against weakened sides, which could be key if it comes down to p/d.

But you have to remember ALL teams have a day turnaround at some point

It is stupid, but it is hindering all teams the same

So there is no skew for individual teams - as ALL TEAMS HAVE IT

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

yappysnap wrote:Scotland are minnows

NZ and Wales prove that playing numbers mean very little. Hell England too but in reverse.

Scotland are poorly run, but they're not minnows. They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

I'm not getting into this debate. We have 2 pro teams. Half that of Wales and Ireland. We may have a position of authority within the game but we are minnows in terms of playing pool.

Scotland have 2 pro teams in one of the global elite club competitions. Super Rugby and ERCC/the European leagues. Only 9  teams in this World Cup are represented in those elite competitions, with Argentina set to make it 10 when they join Super Rugby. Japan couldn't get their act together to join that club.

It's blindingly obvious that you are not minnows by any stretch of the imagination. Those 9/10 teams are the sides who are in a privileged position in World Rugby and benefit enormously from it. The other teams are the minnows.

VinceWLB wrote:I actually thought Japan did well considering the huge disadvantage of having only 3 days of rest.

I agree 1st half they gave it a go and looked to have pickup from where they left off vs SA.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

yappysnap wrote:Scotland are minnows

NZ and Wales prove that playing numbers mean very little. Hell England too but in reverse.

Scotland are poorly run, but they're not minnows. They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

I'm not getting into this debate. We have 2 pro teams. Half that of Wales and Ireland. We may have a position of authority within the game but we are minnows in terms of playing pool.

Scotland (and Italy) have far less resources than their 6 Nations counterparts. At a slight disadvantage, yes they are. But I wouldn't call them minnows. Scotland have a rich history in the sport in a part of the world where rugby is a major sport, they can't possibly be minnows. I didn't know Japan even had that many players and surely with their rich clubs they can grown exponentially in a fairly short space of time.

Riskysports wrote:So there is no skew for individual teams - as ALL TEAMS HAVE IT

Ireland don't

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:I actually thought Japan did well considering the huge disadvantage of having only 3 days of rest.

You'll be expecting the USA to beat is in 4 days then?

No but instead of a 30+ bonus point win it will only be a 10+ win, USA are no great shakes really.

Scotland well deserved win in the end, bonus point try and all.

In all honesty Japan just far too tired from a 4 day turn around. Still that is the RWC i guess.

Again well done Scotland for getting the win.

It’s not Scotland’s fault that Japan had a 4 day turnaround, and it would be disappointing if a very convincing victory was entirely credited to that.  Scotland had plenty very dodgy moments but showed some great attacking work too, and generally coped OK with the Japanese pace and intensity.

Japan’s downfall were their discipline and too many mistakes.

I’m absolutely delighted – that far exceeded my wildest expectations of what we were likely to achieve.

- 5 points
- No apparent injuries
- Job done

VinceWLB wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:I actually thought Japan did well considering the huge disadvantage of having only 3 days of rest.

You'll be expecting the USA to beat is in 4 days then?

No but instead of a 30+ bonus point win it will only be a 10+ win, USA are no great shakes really.

So we are great shakes? I'll take that

Notch wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

yappysnap wrote:Scotland are minnows

NZ and Wales prove that playing numbers mean very little. Hell England too but in reverse.

Scotland are poorly run, but they're not minnows. They play in the best comps, get priority in the calendars and i'm sure have a big say in how things are done.

I'm not getting into this debate. We have 2 pro teams. Half that of Wales and Ireland. We may have a position of authority within the game but we are minnows in terms of playing pool.

Scotland have 2 pro teams in one of the global elite club competitions. Super Rugby and ERCC/the European leagues. Only 9  teams in this World Cup are represented in those elite competitions, with Argentina set to make it 10 when they join Super Rugby. Japan couldn't get their act together to join that club.

It's blindingly obvious that you are not minnows by any stretch of the imagination. Those 9/10 teams are the sides who are in a privileged position in World Rugby and benefit enormously from it. The other teams are the minnows.

This.

Japan, Namibia, Georgia etc are all minnows. Scotland are at the top end of pro rugby, just the bottom of that top end.

Sad to see people being called wums and threatened with bans just because we were willing Japan on.

Surely supporting a team like Japan for a day or two is what the RWC is all about?

Thoroughly enjoyable game, from both sides. Loved the Japanese endeavour in attack. The scrum half has quality, accurate quick ball. Once Scotland had a bit of a foothold and cut out the basic errors, yous scored some great tries. Good game..

Notch wrote:

Riskysports wrote:So there is no skew for individual teams - as ALL TEAMS HAVE IT

Ireland don't

I'm saying nothing about world rugby and where they live!

majesticimperialman wrote:Scotland well deserved win in the end, bonus point try and all.

In all honesty Japan just far too tired from a 4 day turn around. Still that is the RWC i guess.

Again well done Scotland for getting the win.

So in fact, it all comes out in the wash, and all teams have a level playing field of one 4 day turnaround

So totally fair then

:-)

Good result. Was a little worrying at times as for the first 60 Japan dominated possession but they tired badly, little surprising given Scotland did the majority of the tackling.

Thought the ref was a little poor. The kick for Japan's try looked very sus, Linesman said it was out. Scotts offside was garbage as was Nel's hand in the ruck. Also can't recall the player but Scotland were lucky not to get a player in the bin for a judo neck tackle on their own line.

If Scotland can get min a bonus point vs. SA then I think they can win the group... the worry is if they put too much into SA match they face a tough Samoa task a few days later.

The dream is over anyhow... Santa is not real, the loch ness monster picture was a fake and Japan won't qualify from this group. Fun whilst it lasted but normality returns... doesn't matter, those guys will go into rugby folklore, Michael Leitch looks destined to make some money on the after dinner circuit that's for sure.

Good result. Really strong defense at the end, think when Mafi went off Japan looked much less dangerous. Hopefully that sets you guys up for rest of pool, 2 tough games but winnable(depending on what Boks do).

Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

Nobody likes Wales so it's okay

mikey_dragon wrote:Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

Notch wrote:Nobody likes Wales so it's okay

We know!

mikey_dragon wrote:Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

Maybe the IRB think you're minnows too?

mikey_dragon wrote:Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

You're sure doing the seller's spin on it anyway We'll await to see if this Heavy-weight three way Legendary Clash of the Titans bout don't turn out to be a damp squib.

The problem is having an odd number of teams in the pools, this needs to be addressed imo.

fa0019 wrote:Good result. Was a little worrying at times as for the first 60 Japan dominated possession but they tired badly, little surprising given Scotland did the majority of the tackling.

Thought the ref was a little poor. The kick for Japan's try looked very sus, Linesman said it was out. Scotts offside was garbage as was Nel's hand in the ruck. Also can't recall the player but Scotland were lucky not to get a player in the bin for a judo neck tackle on their own line.

If Scotland can get min a bonus point vs. SA then I think they can win the group... the worry is if they put too much into SA match they face a tough Samoa task a few days later.

The dream is over anyhow... Santa is not real, the loch ness monster picture was a fake and Japan won't qualify from this group. Fun whilst it lasted but normality returns... doesn't matter, those guys will go into rugby folklore, Michael Leitch looks destined to make some money on the after dinner circuit that's for sure.

Agree on the ref. Can't speak for the kick as no replay was given; Scott offside rubbish; the Nel one was marginal though I'd have let it go.

But on the other hand I think Japan were pinged quite a lot too - and I'm less likely to look over it and check it was fair

LOL at Scots trying to compare

Playing SA and Scotland to playing Japan and then USA.

LOL

All teams considered at the time ranked 1 and 2 in the pool have around 6/7 days rest before play each other.

SecretFly wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

You're sure doing the seller's spin on it anyway  We'll await to see if this Heavy-weight three way Legendary Clash of the Titans bout don't turn out to be a damp squib.

When Wales get smashed by 30 on Saturday it'll all be clear. But in the meantime they are frustrated that Japan stole the limelight; the 4 day turnaround took away their own early excuses of injuries.

DISCLAIMER: All in jest

We were ranked 3rd in the pool though. Point?

Welly wrote: LOL at Scots trying to compare

Playing SA and Scotland to playing Japan and then USA.

LOL

All teams considered at the time ranked 1 and 2 in the pool have around 6/7 days rest before play each other.

Scotland were 3rd seeds

RDW_Scotland wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Note to 'rugby fans' - Wales have a 6 day turnaround between Uruguay and England, followed by a 5 turnaround before facing Fiji, in perhaps the toughest and most physical group in rugby world cup history. Where is our sympathy?

Ach lads we knew wed get painted as the bad guys after this game whatever happened. Cant win. Oh wait... yeah we did!

meant top 3.