31 May,2014
Jones, Leitch praise Ono following win over Samoa
TOKYO (May 30) – Japan coach Eddie Jones said that while he rated his team’s performance as only “so so,” he was nonetheless extremely happy they had made history Friday night.
The Brave Blossoms’ 33-14 win over Samoa saw them pick up their seventh straight win – a national record – and was the perfect way to help Hitoshi Ono celebrate becoming the most capped player in Japan test match history.
“We broke the record for consecutive wins which is a fantastic effort by the team. But we made hard work of it out there and left a lot of points on the field. But overall I am happy,” Jones said following the victory at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.
The Japan coach was full of praise for the Japan performance in the set piece and with their defensive effort, which saw Japan miss just three tackles.
“I’ve got a happy defense coach right now,” he said of Leigh Jones, who only joined the Japan coaching team at the beginning of the week.
Captain Michael Leitch said the team did what they set out to do but admitted they struggled adapting to the referee’s interpretation of the laws.
“We couldn’t really get any rhythm going,” he said after the game.
Both Jones and Leitch were full of praise for Ono, who was playing his 82nd game for his country.
“Every game he puts his body on the line, Jones said. “He is not the biggest lock but he knows how to get his body in the right position and carry effectively and make tackles. He is the model Japanese rugby forward player.”
Leitch, meanwhile, said: “It is a real honour for us to play with him. He is a great player and we are really proud of him.”
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