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Japan player ratings vs South Africa | Quilter Nations Series
By Ian Cameron
Japan player ratings: The Brave Blossoms were left shell-shocked at Wembley as Eddie Jones’ side were pulverised 61-7 by the world champion Springboks. South Africa’s power game was relentless, and while Japan grabbed a fine individual try through Yoshitaka Yazaki, it was otherwise a long and bruising afternoon.
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Here’s how the Japan players rated:
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1. Kenta Kobayashi – 4.5
Given a torrid time at scrum time against debutant Zachary Porthen, who had him going backwards on multiple feeds. Conceded a penalty try before the break and offered little resistance in the carry.
2. Kenji Sato – 6
Tackled like a demon but was chasing shadows for much of the contest. The lineout faltered under Bok pressure but Sato’s effort couldn’t be faulted.
3. Shuhei Takeuchi – 4
Yellow-carded before half-time after the Japanese scrum collapsed once too often. The tighthead endured a rough outing, with Ox Nché and then Wilco Louw dominating him.
4. Jack Cornelsen – 5
Tried to keep his head above water but drowned in the rising Springbok tide. One lineout steal aside, couldn’t impose himself physically and was blown away by the Bok maul.
5. Warner Dearns – 6
Showed his class to pinch two turnovers against the run of play. Quiet with ball in hand but any inroads into the Bokke forwards.
6. Ben Gunter – 5.5
A clumsy challenge on Kolisi saw him carded early in the second half. Couldn’t quite match the physical edge he showed against Australia a week earlier but at least tried to punch through contact.
7. Kanji Shimokawa – 5
A few nuisance moments at the breakdown, but too often found himself carried backwards by Kolisi and Wiese. Lacked the stopping power required at this level.
8. Michael Leitch – 7.5
Again among Japan’s best. Tackled every Bok that moved—and some that didn’t. Kept standards up even as the scoreline ran away. The veteran refuses to fade quietly.
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9. Shinobu Fujiwara – 6
Sharp early on but faded badly under Bok pressure. His box-kicks were routinely charged down or punished on the counter. Replaced on 65 minutes with Japan looking out of ideas.
10. Seungsin Lee – 6
A mixed bag. Landed Japan’s lone conversion but a few too many errors under pressure. Tried to play flat but was repeatedly monstered by Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Kolisi flying out of the line.
11. Tomoki Osada – 5
Made a bright line break in the lead-up to Yazaki’s try but was mostly starved of ball. Struggled to contain Arendse when South Africa went wide.
12. Charlie Lawrence – 4
The DynaBoars centre had a torrid evening defensively, repeatedly carved open by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cheslin Kolbe cutting against the grain. Offered little with ball in hand and was too easily stepped when South Africa ran their patterns through midfield. A long 60 minutes.
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13. Dylan Riley – 5.5
Worked hard defensively but lost his battle with Jesse Kriel. Rarely saw front-foot ball and the Saitama Wild Knight was forced into scramble mode all afternoon.
14. Kippei Ishida – 5
Ran willing support lines but couldn’t lay a hand on Kolbe, who cut through at will. Minimal involvement and limited yardage gained.
15. Yoshitaka Yazaki – 6
Took his try superbly, showing composure and pace when given half a gap. However, was way too leaky at the back, dropping several balls and looking a little brittle when wave after wave of green came crashing.
Replacements:
16. Shodai Hirao – 6
On from 64 minutes. Couldn’t stop the bleeding at scrum time but at least brought some urgency.
17. Ryosuke Iwaihara – 5
On in the same spell and met the same fate—folded in by Louw.
18. Keijiro Tamefusa – 5
Part of a replacement front-row that barely slowed South Africa’s dominance.
19. Tyler Paul – 5.5
Some grunt and intent when he entered the fray but limited impact in such a one-sided contest.
20. Faulua Makisi – 7.5
Excellent cameo. Threw himself into contact and was one of the few to meet Bok collisions head-on. A lone bright spark from the bench.
21. Kenta Fukuda – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
22. Sam Greene – N/A
Came on late with the result long gone.
23. Tiennan Costley – 5
Saw out the final quarter and had one half-chance down the touchline but otherwise anonymous.
