Brilliant patches but Japan team loses, 11-33

Press, 9 April 1979, Page 36

Brilliant patches but Japan team loses, 11-33

? Bv

KEVIN McMENAMIN

The Japanese rugby team gave a mixed performance when it opened its New Zealand tour with a 33-11 loss to Canterbury University at Rugby Park yesterday.

' The visitors had moments of brilliance, mostly from the backs when they were able to escape the first tackle, but more often their play lacked co-ordination and Canterbury, playing a solid, purposeful game, was soon able to dictate the terms. Japan got off to a flying start. A penalty' goal and two runaway tries put it 110 ahead after less than 20 minutes. But then its well ran dry and it was not until the last five minutes that it ever really looked like scoring again. Between times, Canterbury employed its greater size and experience to take a 1511 lead at half-time and then extend its advantge throughout the second spell.

Canterbury, in fact, played well. It moved the ball judiciously and then, at the finish, the defence came through a searching test with colours flying. The game was slowed down a lot by injuries and four times a stretcher was needed to take players from the field. Japan had three of its backs depart in this manner and the fourth to go was the Canterbury lock. Nick Frankish, who suffered an injured ankle. It was not surprising that the Japanese right wing, Mitsuyuki Fujisaki. was carried off. He threw himself headlong into a full-frontal tackle on the sturdy Canterbury full-back, Doug Heffernan, and although Heffernan hit the ground with a thud Fujisaki suffered the more lasting damage. It was from this same ' fovement that Japan scored Its first try and at least two

University players were’ sorely embarrased by it. cept waiting for the flanker, Hiroaki Takahashi, to pass, but he just kept running — right to the goal-line. The tourists tackled bravely throughout the game ind while they might have :ome to New Zealand to increase their rugby knowledge there is one lesson their rivals could heed. This was their support play: it was quite magnificent; rarely was the ball carrier short of players to pass to. Japan was shut out of the game in the second and third quarters, but its final burst won the team the support of the crowd. The forwards managed to push the Canterbury eight back in two scrums and the side’s

popularity was enhanced when it scorned easy penalty kicks at goal in favour of running the ball. It deserved another try, but all it got were narrow misses. Still, with harder games ahad on its eight-match tour, notably against South Island and New Zealand Universities, Japan will need to bring more solidarity to its play if it is to succeed. It virtually handed Canterbury two tries by attempting to run its backs from its own goal-line. Takahashi and Toshiyuki Hayashi, who leapt high in the line-outs, were the best of the visiting forwards, while the first five-eighths, Mitsunobu Sunamura, was a back of pace and verve. Randall Scott scored three of Canterbury’s five tries, two being made for him and the other being the product of his own carefully-placed chip kick. The backline was

given every chance to attack by Gary Barkle’s swift passing and Kieran Keane varied the play expertly, his kicking being most valuable. Kevin Wooster, lan Stewart and John Edmondson were prominent in the Canterbury pack, but like their colleagues they were feeling the effects of two games in two days towards the end. In the circumstances, Canterbury took a iot of credit for the way it protected its line in the last 10 minutes. For Canterbury, tries by Scott (3), Heffernan and John Black; Heffernan kicked five conversions and a penalty goal. For Japan, tries by Takahashi and Hideo Toshima; a penalty goal by Etsuro Tsuji.