Japan player ratings vs Wallabies | 2021 end-of-year internationals
They showed plenty of promise, but Japan eventually fell short against the Wallabies in a 32-23 defeat in their first end-of-year test in Oita.
The match acted as the third test played by the Brave Blossoms since their stunning run to the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Cup after having lost to the British and Irish Lions and Ireland in Edinburgh and Dublin earlier this year.
Although they didn’t fully execute to the extent that warranted victory, Jamie Joseph’s side showed plenty of attacking enterprise and promise that would validate inclusion in future iterations of the Rugby Championship.
With that in mind, here’s how the Brave Blossoms rated.
1. Keita Inagaki – 5
Busy in a supporting role as a cleaner at the breakdown, but was pinged for angling in twice in the first half, the first of which gave the Wallabies an advantage that sparked the sequence of play leading up to Tom Wright’s eighth minute try. Gave away another penalty in the opening stages of the second half for leaving his feet at the breakdown. Off in the 49th minute.
2. Atsushi Sakate – 7.5
Mostly accurate with his lineout throwing but encountered some fightback from the Australian jumpers. Strong carry to help instigate a promising Japanese attack inside the opening quarter of an hour. Pinged for not releasing the ball in the 21st minute, which enabled the Wallabies to score via Jordan Petaia from a set piece. Topped his side’s tackle count with 13 as part of a massive overall shift. Off in the 70th minute.
3. Koo Ji-won – 7
Conceded a free kick at scrum time in the fifth minute for not allowing James Slipper enough space. Charging run up the guts leading up to Lomano Lemeki’s try. Gave away a penalty early in the second half for being in front of his side’s kicker, which Taniela Tupou ended up scoring from. Crumbled under pressure at scrum time in the 68th minute, but was still a great effort by the South Korean-born prop. Off in the 70th minute.
4. Jack Cornelsen – 8
The main target at the Japanese lineout. A constant presence at the breakdown and defensively. Great hustle to steal loose Australian in the fourth minute, which helped put the Wallabies on the back foot. Disrupted Australia’s jumpers to win the ball from the re-start to allow Japan to build phases and score via Lemeki. Pinged for an obstruction call just as James Moore looked to put the Wallabies on the back foot inside Australian territory in the 66th minute. That was the only blight in an otherwise great showing from the Australian-born lock.
5. James Moore – 6.5
Like his second row partner, played with a high work rate and didn’t shy away from dirty work in the tight stuff. Jumped the gun on defence early in the first half, allowing the Wallabies to play with freedom and set Wright away for his try. Penalised for not releasing the ball just as the Brave Blossoms looked threatening at the end of the first half.
6. Ben Gunter – 7
Strong early tackle to shutdown a promising Wallabies attack inside the first minute. Great heads-up play to strip the ball from the Wallabies in a dangerous attacking position near the half hour mark. A very solid showing against his homeland. Off in the 49th minute.
7. Lappies Labuschagne (c) – 6.5
Led the way on defence for the Brave Blossoms, although it wasn’t all perfect from the skipper. Caught the ref’s attention early for not supporting his body weight at the breakdown in the lead-up to Wright’s try, sloppy ball control to stifle his own team’s attack not long after that and gifted the Wallabies three points at the end of the first half for a breakdown infringement. Nevertheless, a typically industrious defensive showing from the South African-born flanker.
8. Kazuki Himeno – 7
Outstanding defensive work at the breakdown to earn his side a penalty in the 33rd minute. Made the most running metres for Japan. Committed to the cause in all facets of the game. Didn’t produce many standout pieces of play, but his general work around the park showed why he’ll be missed by the Highlanders. Off in the 70th minute.
Japan stayed in the hunt throughout the match but they didn’t quite have the firepower needed to take down the high-flying Wallabies. #JAPvAUS #Wallabies #BraveBlossoms #RugbyJP pic.twitter.com/vAj9TVxH00
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 23, 2021
9. Yukuta Nagare – 6
Looked to box kick whenever his side had the ball inside their own half, but was the focal point of Japan’s high-tempo style of attack. Off in the 63rd minute.
10. Rikiya Matsuda – 6.5
Was mostly accurate off the kicking tee, landing three of his four shots at goal, but had a clanger with his 55th minute penalty attempt and handed the goal-kicking duties to Yu Tamura thereafter. Poor clearing kick under a mountain of pressure from the Wallabies inside the first quarter of the match, but redeemed himself with an excellent cross-field kick to assist Lemeki’s try.
11. Siosaia Fifita – 6
Got his hands on the ball through carries from short inside balls fed to him from ball off the top of the lineout, but with minimal effect. Thumping tackle – the biggest of the match – in the 77th minute.
12. Ryoto Nakamura – 6
A tad overeager on defence, rushing out of his team’s defensive line on occasion. Cost his side possession with a knock on just as Japan were gifted a lineout five metres from the Australian tryline five minutes from half-time. His incessant rush defence actually paid dividends in the 57th minute as he picked off Quade Cooper to score an intercept try.
13. Tim Lafaele – 6
Looked good early on with ball in hand. Broke the line up the middle of the park and showed good vision with a bid unsuccessfully set up a try with a grubber kick in behind the Australian defensive line. Was otherwise largely quiet.
14. Lomano Lemeki – 5.5
Quiet start to the game but got registered himself on the scoresheet by latching onto Matsuda’s cross-field kick to dot down in the corner. Sin binned for a blatant shoulder charge on Hunter Paisami, which was needless as a forward pass had been called against the Wallabies, and his absence proved costly for Japan as they leaked five points while he was gone. Never returned as he was replaced by Dylan Riley once his 10-minute suspension expired in the 58th minute.
15. Semisi Masirewa – 7
Looked intent in keeping the ball in play with quick lineouts and seemed sharp with ball in hand. Kicked very well out hand throughout the course of the match, but had a clearing kick charged down and was fortunate the Wallabies failed to capitalise. Tweaked a hamstring in that play which forced him from the field in the 48th minute.
“Cooper is still throwing skip passes, but, when he does, they are sticking and when the play is simply not there, he hasn’t pushed a bad 50-50 ball or turnover-potential pass.” #Wallabies #JAPvAUS
Analysis from @BenSmithRugby ? https://t.co/XyT5SCjJUo
— The XV Rugby (@TheXV) October 23, 2021
Reserves:
16. Yusuke Niwai – N/A
On in the 70th minute. One successful lineout throw to his name.
17. Craig Millar – 7
On in the 49th minute. Absolutely demolished the Australian scrum in the 59th minute, much to the delight of his Brave Blossoms teammates. Deft ball-playing ability on attack. Should really be starting against Ireland in a fortnight’s time.
18. Asaeli Ai Valu – N/A
On in the 70th minute.
19. Yoshitaka Tokunaga – 7
On in 49th minute. Showed his strength with a determined run up the guts in the 67th minute. Exceptional turnover to halt Australia’s attack late in the match.
20. Tevita Tatafu – 7
On in the 70th minute. Top-class work to earn his side a penalty from the breakdown in the 74th minute, which Tamura scored from.
21. Naoto Saito – 6
On in the 63rd minute. Not the greatest start to the match by throwing a pass to nobody to gift possession back to the Wallabies.
22. Yu Tamura – 6
On in the 48th minute. Knocked over an easy conversion from point black range following Nakamura’s try. Doubled down with an important penalty from distance in the 75th minute.
23. Dylan Riley – 6
On in the 58th minute for his test debut against his nation of birth. A decent couple of touches with ball in hand.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick, and totally correct. Definately too many teams which is unfortunately an effect of the 21st century hubris that began after our 2nd World Cup win. Honestly we weren't like that before then. If NZ beat us in a Rugby League or cricket series (which has occasionally happened) they don't all of a sudden think they are our equal or even better than us. Unfortunately for Australia, we got carried away with ourselves and wanted to jump from 4th biggest football code to biggest…in 5 minutes. More teams, more matches against the All Blacks (so we could beat them even more). Bring it on. It’s been all down hill since then. Assuming Melbourne are gone, there are very good reasons to keep the remaining 4 in SR, or so it would seem. The Force?…wronged previously, and have $s. Surely not. The Brumbies?….easily the best performed. Surely not. The Waratahs?….most players (50%) and most followers. Surely not. The Reds?….easily the best current team, and nearly as many players and followers as the Waratahs. Surely not. I’d argue that based on how strong the combined Reds n Rebs would be and how strong a combined team of all of the other Oz SR teams would be, we have players for 2 teams…..which would be good. Good enough for a propper SR competition…or maybe good enough for Japan….if they’ll have us. Existing SR teams?….keep them and have them play a second tier…or maybe NZ's NRC….if they'll have us. This is biting the bullet. We have the cattle
1 Go to commentsbest news and very helpful
4 Go to commentsA year ago Ireland and France looked impressive. In this 6N neither looked special. Both have lost good players, but more importantly teams have figured out how to shut them down. In particular the Irish loss to a rebuilding England and the home game struggle against a brave Scotland did nothing to prove that the Irish RWC result was undeserved. If the Scots can shut down the Irish attack, then SA can do so with interest. Rassie will have watched that game with confidence. Farrell is smart, and the Irish team is talented, so we should expect a more creative game plan in SA. But if all they bring is what they showed against Scotland then Ireland is going to struggle against the Boks. It was a fun 6N tournament, but the win for Ireland was as much about weak competition as about Irish brilliance. It was mostly due to France being off the boil, Wales and Italy not being contenders, and Scotland being a home game. England are looking much better, but “much better” should not be enough to topple a team that is supposed by some to be The Best in the World. I hope that Ireland can bump it up a notch or two for the Bok tour. A year ago they were fantastic to watch. It would be great to see that again.
24 Go to commentsLooking forward to the Wallabies being competitive again. No doubt that Joe can get them back on track.
1 Go to commentsThanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.
43 Go to commentsGreat story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
2 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
2 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
43 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
24 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
43 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
43 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
4 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
4 Go to comments