Japan XV starlet shines early but Maori All Blacks storm home in Nagoya

The Maori All Blacks and Japan XV met in Nagoya for the latest chapter in what has become a frequently visited rivalry in recent years, and Paloma Mizuho Stadium played host to a dramatic game of two halves.

Japan XV No.10 Ryunosuke Ito put in an electric performance for his side, beating five defenders with three try assists in the first half, capitalising on the visitors being down to 13 men for the final 10 minutes of the period.

But the tide turned in the second half, with the Maori All Blacks persisting with their desire to keep the ball in hand and growing into the game, finishing in flying form as they scored four tries in the final quarter for a hard-fought comeback win.

Japan’s defensive line speed caused issues for the Maori All Blacks early, with the visitors determined to keep the ball in hand but getting little pay and ultimately losing the ball via breakdown steal and knock-on in the opening five minutes.

Japan’s attack involved short bursts of structured play, with the backline running from depth, with only a few phases played before boot was put to ball. An early strike was cut down by the Maori All Blacks midfield, before some work down the right edge saw the ball lobbed over the top for some half-breaks down the wing.

Consecutive Maori All Black penalties gave Japan some promising field position and proved costly when Ito delivered the cross-field kick to a wide-open Kazuma Ueda for the first try of the game.

That lead held from the sixth minute until the 13th, when a Japan knock-on gave the Maori All Blacks a scrum just inside the hosts’ half, from which Xavi Taele made a half-break, offloading to Cole Forbes, who in turn got the ball back to Adam Lennox, who beat the final defender to score.

It didn’t take long for Ito to make a break after play resumed, getting his side within a whisker of the try line. There was a minute of heavy collisions before Waisake Raratubua got over the line, only for the play to be called back for a knock-on during the initial break.

The Nagoya heat had an impact on the game throughout, with both sides guilty of handling errors, one in particular will haunt Ito as he danced through a gap close to the line only to let the ball slip as he dived for the try, although Lennox may have influenced the spill.

The 30th minute arrived with a yellow card for Maori All Blacks captain Bailyn Sullivan, who tackled his opposite without the ball after a string of penalties had earned his team a warning from the referee. Torian Barnes followed his captain shortly after, shown a yellow card for joining a driving maul from the side. With Japan’s next driving maul, Mamoru Harada was awarded a try.

Ito was brimming with confidence as the first half neared its end, darting sideways with the ball before dropping an offload to Chisu Lee, who broke the line. The playmaker then delivered a crisp, flat ball for Dylan Riley to run on to, setting the centre up for a linebreak, which resulted in another try.

A superb 50/22 from Takuro Hojo put Japan in position to capitalise on their two-man advantage once more before the break, and another cross-field kick from Ito found the waiting arms of Inoke Burua, who grounded the ball for one of the easier tries of his career.

Sullivan was first on the board nine minutes into the second half, with the Maori All Blacks keeping the ball in hand better and forcing Japan to make tackles before eventually bringing phase play to the try line and darting over.

Another Maori All Black penalty had them backed onto their own try line shortly after, and while the driving maul was resisted, the ball was then sent wide, and it was fullback vs fullback when Takuro Matsunaga caught the ball near centre-field, fending off Cole Forbes to reach the try line.

Another centre-field scrum just inside Japan’s half set the scene for the Maori All Blacks’ response, with some heavy phase play broken up when Taele made a half-break down the wing and offloaded to Payton Spencer, who swirved through the defence and was tackled just shy of the line. TK Howden was next to carry and dragged two defenders over the line.

Points Flow Chart

Maori All Blacks win +7

Time in lead

50

Mins in lead

7

63%

% Of Game In Lead

9%

31%

Possession Last 10 min

69%

0

Points Last 10 min

10

It took just four minutes for the visitors to reduce Japan XV’s lead further, with their most energised and cohesive period of attack ending in a try to Sam Nock after a trio of offloads.

Taha Kemara spilled the ball during the Maori All Blacks’ next positive period of play, but got the ball back before long when Japan XV did the same thing, and the Kiwis went right back on attack. Kemara made up for his earlier fumble by beating four tackles on his way to a try that would hand his side their first lead of the game. The playmaker couldn’t convert his try, leaving the new lead at two points.

Possession swung back and forth in the dying moments, with a Japan XV knock-on, then Rivez Reihana kicking the ball out on the full, then Torian Barnes stealing the ball back at the breakdown. The frantic finish culminated in a tackle from Pouri Rakete-Stones that sent the ball free, and Taele swooped in to score and cement the Maori All Blacks’ win. Final score: 38-31.