Japan have achieved 1st goal says Jones

TOKYO (May 25) – Japan head coach Eddie Jones said his team had achieved their first goal and it was now time for them to start working towards their second goal, after the Brave Blossoms had booked their spot at Rugby World Cup 2015 with a 49-8 win over Hong Kong.

“It was a tough old game,” he said. “But we achieved our first goal of qualifying for the World Cup which is fantastic, Our next target is to make the quarterfinals. Everything we do now is to make sure we are in a position to make the quarterfinals.”

However, as captain Michael Leitch pointed out following a game in which the opponents forced Japan into a number of errors, “We have to raise our level for the World Cup.”

Leitch admitted that the pressure of the occasion – a Rugby World Cup spot on the line, the Asian 5 Nations title on offer and the last ever game at the National Stadium – could have been one reason for the high number of errors from the hosts.

Jones, meanwhile, said “Things don’t always go your way in games. You need to battle through and we did that today.”

“We weren’t sharp today and Hong Kong defended very well. But today was just about winning. We achieved that easily by halftime and I am very pleased with the players.”

Japan’s victory means they will play in Pool B in England next year where they will take on South Africa, Samoa, Scotland and the United States.

Japan plays Samoa next Friday at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground before they travel to North America to play Canada and the United States in the Pacific Nations Cup. They close out their spring season with a test against Italy on June 21.