"Miracle Workers" – Top 5 Japan Rugby Moments Ahead of England Test in Autumn Nations Series
11/22/2024 05:07 AM
England take on Japan this Sunday, in their final round of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. Steve Borthwick’s side have had a turbulent November campaign, following a trio of successive defeats against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
England fans would be hoping that this weekend’s battle with the Brave Blossoms will see Borthwick’s men secure their long awaited win, as England enter the match as considerable favorites against the side ranked 14th in the world. There is an added spice to this Test, with former England head coach Eddie Jones returning to the home of English Rugby, as he takes charge of Japan in their journey to the Allianz.
This will be the first time that Jones has stepped foot in the stadium known as ‘HQ’ since the Summer of 2023, when he made his successful return to Twickenham as head coach of the Barbarians, who would dispatch an equally star-studded World XV side. It has not been plain sailing for Japan either this Autumn, with Borthwick and Jones sharing in the feeling of defeat throughout November.
The Cherry Blossoms sustained heavy defeats to the All Blacks and France, yet can boast one win better than England, having gotten off the mark this past weekend against Uruguay. Japan orchestrated a 36-20 win over the South American nation, and would love nothing more than to secure the upset win over England, in what would be an unforgettable day for Eddie Jones, Steve Borthwick and the England squad.
Japan have long been a side that you should never rule out of an upset, with their finest hour arguably being the ‘Brighton Miracle’ of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Eddie Jones was even in charge of Japan for their immortalized win against South Africa, with the pool stage match going down as one of the all-time great days in the history of the JRFU.
So, ahead of England’s upcoming clash against the Brave Blossoms this Sunday, here are the top five moments in Japan Rugby history.
1. The Brighton Miracle
South Africa 32 – 34 Japan: Pool B – 2015 Rugby World Cup
An obvious place to start, in what is amongst the most unbelievable Rugby World Cup upsets of all time. As mentioned in our introduction, Japan were yet to win a Rugby World Cup match in almost a quarter of a century, as they lined up against South Africa at the 2015 tournament in England.
This heroic tale of David vs Goliath has gone down in Japan rugby folklore, whilst the Springboks do all they can to erase this match from recent memory. Ahead of his time as England Head Coach, Eddie Jones took the reigns of Japan for this opening match in Pool B. You would have been forgiven to assume this match was set to end in a Springboks walkover, yet Jones said how this "could be a day to remember for Japanese rugby” in the preluding week’s media.
Jones taught his players the art of the chop tackle, which proved an effective method of halting the giant Springbok carriers. A 12-10 half-time score kept Japan in touching distance, before fullback Ayumu Goromaru slotted five penalties, which counteracted the Bok's tries from Bismarck du Plessis, Lodewyk de Jager and Jan Strauss. Goromaru's phenomenal try in the 69th minute then levelled up the scores, and the previously impossible task seemed almost achievable.
Handre Pollard's 73rd minute penalty never withered the Blossoms, as in the final play of the match, replacement winger Karne Hesketh fought his way into the corner, to wrap up an unbelievable victory for Japan. The Brave Blossoms had toppled the two-time Rugby World Cup winners, in just their second ever win at the competition. An iconic moment that will live forever, the story of ‘The Brighton Miracle’ has since been brought to the big screen in a feature length film.
England will be more than cautious of the possibility of facing the Springbok’s fate, when they meet Japan in Nice on Sunday.
2. Fireworks in Shizuoka
Japan 19 – 12 Ireland: Pool A – 2019 Rugby World Cup
Japan’s second unforgettable Rugby World Cup upset saw lightning strike twice for the Brave Blossoms. Japan put in an astonishing performance against Ireland, as they were willed forward by their host nation support in Shizuoka. A sea of red and white was the ’16th man’, that breathed new life into the fight, as Japan battled back for the 19-12 victory over Ireland.
Despite the iconic heroism of the 2015 Brighton Miracle, this is the match that England fans should pay close attention to ahead of this Sunday’s fixture. Japan’s Head Coach four years ago was Jamie Joseph, and the former All Black remains at the helm for this weekend’s encounter. The architect behind the Irish upset, Joseph was able to orchestrate his side to secure a comeback win against a strong Ireland outfit.
Ireland were only a year removed from their 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam under Joe Schmidt, yet had seemingly peaked too early in form. The 2019 Six Nations saw Ireland sink to a third place finish, and this defeat to Japan swayed the already souring public opinion of the former Head Coach. Ireland took a strong start, with two first half tries from Garry Ringrose and Rob Kearney establishing a healthy lead. However, an ill-disciplined Ireland defence gifted Japan first half penalties, with the score-line depleted to just 12-9 at the break.
Ireland began to feel an eery sense of Deja vu as they emerged for the second half, they had seen this all before with the Springboks. Ireland did not just battle the 15 man team, but had to try fend off the army of red and white striped jerseys that surrounded them in Fukuroi. The heavy home support let out an almighty roar when Kenki Fukuoka scored a try on the hour mark as Japan had etched in front. The neat kicking of Yu Tamura made certain that they would hold out until the full time ‘gong’.
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