Jones happy with ‘tough’ win

HONG KONG (April 28) – Japan coach Eddie Jones said he was happy with Saturday’s performance against Hong Kong but admitted his team had had to work hard for the win – their 22nd straight bonus-point victory in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations.

“It wasn’t flash. But that’s what happens when the defence stops you from getting quick ball. We also made some individual errors that we don’t normally make,” Jones said.

Though as he pointed out: “We won 38-0. We got another five points, have 10 for the season and are 159-0. I’m pretty happy. It was a game we needed, we had to tough it out,”

Japan struggled to cope with a tenacious Hong Kong defensive effort and some indifferent officiating from a referee in charge of his first test.

“Everyone can get up for one game,” Jones said of the hosts’ effort. “Our halfback got scruffed, we couldn’t get quick ball and every time it was on the ground it got kicked. But all credit to Hong Kong, that’s the result of good coaching. They did really well and we need to be able to cope with things like that.”

Jones said he was probably more frustrated than his players with the officiating of Aaron Littlewood.

“It was his first international game and the most difficult in the context of Asian rugby, Hong Kong at home to Japan. I thought our players showed a lot of discipline,” he said.

Japan captain Toshiaki Hirose, who scored two of his side’s six tries, admitted it had been a hard day at the office.

“It was a difficult day and a hard game,” he said. “But we showed patience and believed in ourselves and it’s another step to the next game.”

That next game is against South Korea in Tokyo on May 4, and with the Koreans opening their A5N campaign with a 75-10 win over the United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jones said he would probably keep changes to his side to a minimum.

“Our priority at the moment is to win the Asian 5 Nations so we need to beat Korea next week and will be picking a reasonably strong team,” he said.