Japan confirmed, Kazakhstan hopeful
After the last round of the Asian 5 Nations, Japan have conformed their place in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand by beating Hong Kong 94-5 while the Kazaks won the right to go into répechage when they scored a bonus-point 32-25 victory over Korea, who will be relegated next season.
Asia has one direct entry and a répechage place for the second-placed team. Japan go into Pool A with New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada. Kazakhstan play Uruguay for the right to play the winner of the match between Tunisia and the winner of Saturday’s encounter between Ukraine and Romania. the eventual winner will go into pool B with Argentina, England, Scotland and Georgia.
It was a heartbreak day for Hong Kong in Tokyo. Not only was there the huge, 14-try defeat but also Kazakhstan clinched the runner-up spot with a win over South Korea in Incheon. Flank Anton Rudoy scored a hat-trick as Kazakhstan scored four tries to secure the crucial bonus point that saw them edge ahead of Hong Kong in the standings.
Having posted half-century victories over all its opponents – South Korea (71-3), the Arabian Gulf (60-5) and Kazakhstan (101-7) – Japan continued in their merry fashion in front of a record A5N crowd in excess of 10,000 spectators today as they out-muscled Hong Kong at the breakdown, and pushed their opponents off their own ball in the scrums to stitch together another convincing victory.
“We have achieved our first goal this year which was to qualify for the World Cup,” said a pleased Japan coach John Kirwan. “The players have worked very hard and that was our best performance in the competition so far. But there is a long way to go.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the players whose dream is to play at a World Cup. Hopefully we can show the Japanese style of rugby.”
That style was too hot for Hong Kong to handle with the Japanese backs scoring 10 of the 14 tries in an overpowering display of running rugby. Wingers Alisi Tupuailei and Kosuke Endo were the stars, finishing with a hat-trick and a brace respectively.
But the foundation was set by the powerful Japanese forwards led superbly by impressive No.8 Ryu Holani and veteran lock Hitoshi Ono, who was leading the side in the absence of Takashi Kikutani serving a two-match ban for a stamping incident and use of the elbow against the Arabian Gulf.
Holani and his quicksilver loose forwards Masakazu Toyota and Touetsu Taufa hammered Hong Kong off the ball at the breakdowns, giving the visitors little breathing space, and the momentum they seized gave Japan the upper hand in a one-sided match.
Japan had their World Cup berth sewn up by the 18th minute of the first half when left winger Endo completed an incisive break by centre Ryan Nicholas to score Japan’s fourth try and secure the bonus point which put them in the safety zone.
Japan, the only Asian country to appear at the World Cup, led 45-0 at half-time, scoring seven tries including a hat-trick from right winger Alisi Tupuailei whose powerful running left the Hong Kong defence clutching at straws. Tupuailei opened the try-fest when he scored in the second minute, collecting a lovely weighted kick to the corner by fly-half Shaun Webb to touch down by the corner flag. It opened the floodgates.
Apart from Tupuailei and Endo, Shota Horie, Holani, Fumiaki Tanaka, Koji Taira, Hiroki Yuhara, Tomoki Yoshida, Shaun Webb, James Arlidge and Kaoru Matsushita also scored a try each.
Arlidge who came on as a second-half substitute for fly-half Webb, finished the game with 17 points including six conversions. Webb and Nicholas also knocked over three conversions each.
Japan could have gone past the century-mark, but a try in the dying seconds by fullback Goshi Tachikawa was disallowed by Singaporean referee Harry Mason, who after consulting his touch judge, ruled that Tachikawa had thrown a punch in an altercation after the try was scored, and showed him the red card. (This surely is wrong. The punch must have occurred before the try was scored.)
But it was no consolation for Hong Kong whose solitary try was scored by flank Mark Wright who capitalised on a blunder by Arlidge to score an opportunistic try midway through the second half.
On Sunday, Wright starts a new career in Japan as a professional rugby player with Toyota Shokki Shuttles. The move, alongside fellow Hong Kongers Rowan Varty and Kenzo Pannell, may herald the future for Asian players outside of Japan and is a development that was at least partially inspired by the platform presented by the Asian 5 Nations.
“It is really disappointing that our World Cup dream is over. But Japan was too good for us and we were blown away,” said Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees. “And all credit to Kazakhstan to go to Korea and beat them by four tries to secure the crucial bonus point.”
As far as the World Cup was concerned Kirwan said: “It’s important we keep growing. I want to show the world how much we have improved and I hope we have the courage to play our style of rugby. I have never taken the field to lose a game and won’t in New Zealand and I am sure the players feel the same.”
In Korea, Kazakhstan flanker Anton Rudoy recorded his second hat trick in only three matches this year to lift the visitors over a Korean side that started on fire. Korea jumped out to a 17-0 lead after just 15 minutes through tries to prop Kim Gwong Sik, winger Choi Si Won and star lock You Young Nam, with a conversion from winger Noh Byung Kwan. Rudy scored his first of the afternoon in the 19th minute with the conversion from fullback Maxim Lifontov who added two more penalties in the first half. Noh slotted his own penalty to bring the score at the interval to 20-13 for Korea.
In the second stanza, Korea jumped out early with a try through lock Park Soon Chai but Rudoy came charging back three minutes later with his second of the day. Lifontov’s successful conversion brought the score to 25-18. Kazakhstan centre Ildar Abdrazakov added his own try that was converted by Lifontov to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the match at 27-25. The match remained on a knife edge until Rudoy crossed over for his third of the game in the 76th minute – a try that will send Kazakhstan to Uruguay for the first stage of the Rugby World Cup répechage in July. If Kazakhstan beat Uruguay they will enter a home and away series with the winners of the Europe v Africa play-off.
Kazakhstan finished the tournament with 13 points, one more than Hong Kong. Unbeaten Japan finished with 24 points. The Arabian Gulf, which will be replaced by the newly formed United Arab Emirates Rugby Association in next year’s Top 5 competition finished in fourth spot on 10 points. Sri Lanka, champions of the A5N Division I tournament will be promoted at the expense of Korea will be relegated to Division I. Korea’s relegation is an unprecedented development for the traditional counterweights to Japan in Asian rugby’s pecking order and heralds increasing parity amongst Asia’s non-professional teams.
By Sean Moore in Tokyo
