Japan U20 Primed for World Championships Following New Zealand Tour
With the World Rugby Junior World Championships kicking off in Georgia on June 27, Japan U20 got their preparations off to a strong start with a three-match tour of New Zealand. Running from May 16 – 31 the tour began with a practice match against a Hawke’s Bay development side on May 20, before a two-match series against New Zealand Universities (NZU).
In their first run, after leading their hosts 0-7 at halftime they came up just two points short at the siren, for a final score of 33-31. As the first outing of the tour, the match gave the team the opportunity to settle into their new surroundings and stretch their legs after the long travel from Japan. It also gave them a valuable chance to try some different combinations and attacking moves in the less intense environment of a practice match.
Having equipped themselves well against Hawke’s Bay the team set their sights on their two matches against New Zealand Universities. NZU have a proud tradition dating back to 1908 and a strong connection with Japan, having first toured the Land of the Rising Sun back in 1936. The team has recorded many remarkable achievements, including victories against international rugby stalwarts like the Springboks and British & Irish Lions.
The side is made up of current university students and recent graduates who play for university clubs across New Zealand. Many players who have turned out for NZU in the past have gone on to higher honours at both provincial level and as fully capped All Blacks.
For Japan U20, NZU always presents a stiff challenge. With players who are generally older and, in many cases, physically larger, coming up against NZU provides a great yardstick against which to measure themselves. Having beaten NZU last year 52-45 at home in Oita, Japan U20 were no doubt anticipating a stronger showing when facing them at home in New Zealand.
In what was an undeniably tough day for Japan, they fell to their hosts 74-12 in the opening fixture on May 26. While such a blowout was not what the team was hoping for, the players and staff had to digest the loss quickly before regrouping and setting their sights on match-two, taking place just four days later.
The second fixture against NZU on May 30 brought the added excitement of being the curtain-raiser for the Round 16 Super Rugby Pacific clash between the Chiefs and Blues at FMG Stadium in Hamilton.
Japan started the match strongly and looked like a completely different side to the team that turned out for match-one. Playing with speed and precision, they took the game to their hosts, who they looked to run off their feet by setting a cracking pace throughout the first half. When the halftime hooter sounded, both teams went into the sheds with the scores even at 19 apiece.
The second half started well for the visitors when in the opening two minutes they crossed the line for a converted try, giving them a 19-26 lead. However, their adulation was to be short lived. For the remainder of the half, it was the students who took control, going on to score 38 unanswered points for a final score of 57-26.
Commenting after the match, Team Director Mitsuyuki Nakayama said:
“While we suffered a heavy defeat in our first match, we addressed a lot of issues coming into the second game and played much better. If you look at the first half of match-two in isolation, I think we put up a really good fight.
“The Junior World Championships also runs four-day gaps between matches, so being able to experience a similar schedule here in New Zealand has been an incredibly valuable experience for these young men. As a team, this tour provided an opportunity to assess our strengths and areas for improvement ahead of the World Championships, as well as determining our squad to go to Georgia.”
With Japan drawn alongside New Zealand, Italy and Scotland in Pool B of the World Championships, the opportunity to play these three matches against strong New Zealand opposition will prepare the side well ahead of their opening match in Kutaisi.