Japan Rugby National Team wins 57-12 against Canada, challenges ahead for Pacific Nations Cup

The Rugby Lipovitan D Challenge Cup was held on the 5th at Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata City, and Japan (12th in the world rankings) comfortably defeated Canada (24th) 57-12. In the first half, Japan scored tries from Okabe and Hirose to bring the score back to 31-7, and then added points in the second half with tries from Inaba and others. Japan's match record is 20 wins, 4 draws, and 10 losses.

Japan will face the United States (14th place) in the semifinals of the Pacific Nations Cup on the 12th.

“I don’t think it will be an easy victory.”

Japan's head coach Eddie Jones once avoided answering a question about the offense and defense at the point of contact in the post-match press conference. "We were able to destroy opponents in scrums and lineouts." When asked again and again about crowding, he answered. “I can show more intensity.”

They scored nine tries from lower-ranked Canada, but Japan still had issues with their attack and defense at points of contact. FW Mamoru Harada said, ``I was late in reaching out to my teammate who had escaped.'' There was a series of scenes where he got tangled up and handed the ball to his opponent.

Japan's aim is to advance to the final four of next year's World Cup. Looking backwards from that, it's understandable that many of the players' words expressed remorse. SH Naoto Saito, who served as captain that day, admitted, ``We are a young team, so we are confident that we won, but I don't think it was a comfortable victory.''

There were some things that slowed down the movement. Before the match against Canada, he prioritized high-intensity practice over preparation for the match. It is said that he pushed hard in order to win the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC), which starts on the 12th.

At PNC, they will play against the United States in the semifinals, and if they win, there is a high probability they will face Fiji in the final. Head coach Jones said, ``I think we'll be able to show a different team than we had today.'' The true value will now be tested.