ANALYSIS – Japan Rugby’s speed and pressure was what won them the game against Rugby Canada. Canada also turned over the ball too many times and had a bad start to the game. It was a result that frankly was expected with the type of opposition Canada was going up against.
Japan Rugby’s Speed and Pressure Played A Big Role at BC Place
Headlines of Sunday’s Game
Japan Rugby’s Passing and Pressure
It is impossible to cover all the tries, but some of them exemplified what the team was about on Sunday. Despite an early try being prevented by Ethan Fryer, Japan was just too fast and the pressure got too much for the Canadian team. Some examples of this include:
- Japan passed the ball well, which resulted in Seungsin Lee finding Malo Tuitama for the try.
- Yoshitaka Yazaki passed the ball to Kanji Shimokawa for the try.
Canada also had trouble dealing with the speed of Shimokawa and some of the other players from Japan. Also, Warner Dearns really used his height and speed to his advantage as the Canadian team had trouble containing him, and as a result, he scored two tries of his own in the game.
Japan also deserves credit for the win, as the Rugby Canada head coach, Kingsley Jones, had this to say about the national team (Source: Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press):
“(Japan) were so efficient, the speed of ball,” said Canada’s head coach Jones. “It was like a whirlwind, like a wave coming over the players.”
Rugby Canada Made Some Costly Turnovers
Rugby Canada made some turnovers in the game and were not defensively sound at points in the game. Some of these plays included:
- The turnover was created by Nicholas McCurran, who passed the ball to Dylan Riley to finish off the try.
- The last try of the game, which was scored by Tomoki Osada, also happened because of a turnover.
There was also the turnover in the 36 minute via a lineout, where Lucas Rumball won possession for his team, but the Canadians did not take advantage with their bad lineout. There will also be a discussion on defence later on in the article, but at times, there was little resistance to Japan scoring tries on the other side of the field.
The McMullin Brothers Had an Unforgettable Game on Sunday
The biggest positive for Canada was with the McMullin brothers. Both were able to make their impact known in their game against Japan. Here is how each player got their tries.
- In the 50 minute, Talon McMullin made a great run to score the try.
- In the dying minutes of the game, Takoda McMullin scored what might be the try of the game as he dove to get a touch to the ball for his team.
Even Talon McMullin, knew that his brother, Takoda, scored a wonderful try (Source: Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press):
“I’ve heard both. I’ll give it to him,” he said with a grin. “I think the finish was better from him. That’s a pretty unreal way to score your first try.”
Other Factors
For defence, that is one area Canada can improve on at points in the game, it felt like a few of the tries Canada gave up, such as the try scored by Jone Naikabula, did not have much resistance by the Canadian defence.
Lucas Rumball had a great game with the red and white on Sunday. He made some key plays and forced Japan to make turnovers. He also scored a try in the second half as Andrew Coe scored the first try for Canada thanks to a heads up play by Jason Higgins.
All in all, this was a positive performance by Canada. They won the second half against Japan, and even got a bonus point, which tells the story of where this team can be in the future. This was also noticed by head coach, Kingsley Jones of Rugby Canada (Source: Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press):
For Canada to be at the level of Japan and some of the top nations in the world, it is important to play more competitive games. This 2024 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup competition is a crucial part of growing the game in this country. Also, after the win against Romania, Canada is heading in the right direction.
Games Coming Up For Both Teams
READ MORE: Rugby Canada v Japan Rugby: Unforgettable Game at BC Place
Canada has an important encounter with USA as they will travel to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California at 3:00pm EST (6:00pm PDT) on August 31. This is the game that most likely determine who makes the semi-finals stage of the 2024 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup competition.
The U.S. will then travel to Japan to face the Japanese on 7:05 JST on September 7, 2024. This game would take place at the Kumagaya Rugby Ground in Kumagaya, Japan, which would be at 6:05 AM EST, which is also at 3:05 AM PDT.
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada X Account on August 25, 2024.
