Japan closes World Cup pool stage with 28-18 win over US

While England coach Stuart Lancaster’s failures and future are being hotly debated in local media, attention elsewhere has focused on the games, in which there has been plenty of thrillers, tries, comebacks, and upsets, not the least being Japan’s 34-32 win over South Africa.

The outlook for O’Connell, who is retiring at the end of the World Cup, looks particularly bleak, with coach Joe Schmidt admitting he might have played his last game for his country after being stretchered off.

“We’ve prepared as well as we can in a very long pre-season – a lot of running and a lot of weights and we’ve put a lot of good work into our attack and hopefully when it comes to that first game we can show what we’re about and get off to a great start”.

More than 11 million UK TV viewers tuned in for England’s games against Australia and Wales, while a surprising three million watched in Germany.

“When I took over Japan I wanted to bring pride back in the national team and I think we have done that so it is someone else’s turn to take it over”.

“The Rugby World Cup is a juggernaut with huge momentum”, said Gosper.

When asked of his opinions of the pool matches, Japanese captain Michael Leitch said, “This game was probably – definitely the toughest of the four”, which stood as testament to the efforts against his team. In August, amid reports that the new franchise had signed only a handful of players, Brendan Morris, chief executive of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby, the parent organization of Super Rugby, sought reassurance from the Sunwolves.

The last pool match didn’t have the jaw-dropping thrills of Japan’s win over South Africa on the second day of the tournament, or the smothering domination of the win over Samoa, but it was a slice of history nevertheless. They will be the first Tier Two nation to host a world cup so it’s ideal that they are on an upward curve.

Fullback Ayumu Goromaru, whose unique stance before firing his precision kicks captivated the attention of the global rugby community as well as the non-rugby playing Japanese public, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the World Cup.

“Thanks to New Zealand Rugby and Auckland Rugby Union for hosting this year’s all important Championship”, said Glenwright.

It allows players to represent countries where they have lived for just three years. “So if I play well you never know”, he said. “At the same time, there is business potential”.

MORE, AND BETTER: Tier Two nations are pushing for more tests against the top teams, and World Rugby is backing the calls.

The Sunwolves will play a few games in Singapore, partly to reduce traveling time for the South African teams but also to promote the game elsewhere in Asia.

Will the feat of Japan provide a booster for Asian Rugby?

“So to win three of four games shows the quality of players we have, and how hard we’ve worked to achieve this”.

The outlook for Japan is not completely rosy.

Assessing what might have awaited England had they won a home World Cup, Thomas recalled the 2003 celebrations and said: ” It would have been on a different scale to that this time and we blew it”. “It’s entirely the responsibility of the JRFU”.

“But there is enormous potential in Japan”.

What money for an all Southern hemisphere semi final line up?