Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Japan's Ireland-besting prop hadn't packed down in the front row until four months ago

By Online Editors
Japan prop Isi Nakajima shakes hands with Ireland lock James Ryan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

Four months ago Isileli Nakajima had never played prop but on Saturday he packed down in the front-row and helped Japan stun the globe with victory over Ireland.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tongan-born front-rower with the gold tooth and the beaming smile climbed off the bench and sustained the Brave Blossoms’ scrum ascendancy right until the death.

And when Japan’s 19-12 triumph in Shizuoka was complete, Nakajima admitted he hardly knew what to do with himself: the 30-year-old accepting the victory as the pinnacle of his playing days.

Nakajima was battling along as a number eight with Kobe Steelers until Japan’s coaches convinced him to make the front-row switch – and the hulking forward insisted he never had any doubts about completing his transition, not even with the complex technical aspects.

“This is my first World Cup and I’ve only been playing prop for four months, so to play this kind of game at this point and get this kind of win – it’s amazing,” said a jubilant Nakajima.

Video Spacer

“Transitioning to prop was never difficult because we have great coaches, they believe in what I can do. So I just believe them, and stick to their plan.

“We talk every day, for a long time, we have a lot of chats and meetings about how to scrum. So I just believed them, trusted in them, and that’s where my confidence has come from.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s just incredible. That’s the peak of my career.

“We’ve been working for years towards this specific match, we stuck to our plan, we played well and did a good job. This is Japan’s best ever victory, I think.”

Japan boss Jamie Joseph revealed he had spent three years devising the gameplan to thwart Ireland, and Nakajima insisted Ireland did just what the Brave Blossoms had planned for.

Japan failed to reach the quarter-finals in 2015 despite three pool stage victories, including that superlative win over South Africa. So now Nakajima and company are taking nothing for granted, with Pool A clashes against Samoa and Scotland still to come.

“Ireland played literally how we expected,” said Nakajima.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We expected they would try to hold the ball as much as they did, so we were just trying to hold them in the defence, then try to get the ball back as much as we could.

“And I think we did it as well as we could. We put a lot of pressure on them whenever we could.

“The atmosphere was really awesome. We couldn’t hear each other during the game.

“The people in Japan gave us energy from the first to the last minute.

“In the last few seconds, I knew we were going to win the game, and it was a great feeling.

“We have big confidence but this is not the end for us, we’re not going to sit at this and be happy to have beaten Ireland.

“We have a goal so we need to stick to what we’ve planned for so long for.

“We’ve got to get to the quarter-final now. It doesn’t matter about anything else, we’ve just got to stick to our plan.”

– AAP

Check out what Ireland coach Joe Schmidt had to say after his side’s loss to Japan:

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING RFU statement: TMO reaction to alleged foul play against Owen Farrell RFU statement: TMO reaction to alleged foul play against Owen Farrell
Search