Autumn Nations Series: Ireland 41 Japan 10
This was far from perfect and not the kind of performance that will have Joe Schmidt and the Wallabies quaking in their boots, much less the all-conquering Springboks. But at least Ireland problem solved at the break, when only leading 17-10, to pull clear with four unanswered tries in the second half. The win came a cost too, with Jamie Osborne suffering a shoulder injury which will probably rule him out of the rest of the series.
Even in that patchy first half, there had been some nice shape, options and passing in attack as Ireland sought to play with plenty of width, but this was undermined by the loss of three of their seven lineouts before the break.
But when the lineout did click, it made the game look much, much easier for Ireland. Tadhg Beirne’s deft handling skills were used as Ireland employed a variety of first receivers and Jack Crowley had some nice moments and deft passes as he pulled the strings against tiring opponents. The respective benches exposed Ireland’s superior depth.
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Crowley was replaced just past the 50-minute mark and there was no doubt that Sam Prendergast got the Irish attack humming with his array of wristy passes, while also pinning penalties into the corner, with Jacob Stockdale and the very impressive Tommy O’Brien coming more into the game. His injection of hunger, energy, and most of all pace, is infectious.
Ireland attack was a little too narrow and flat at times, and they made enough turnovers to give the Japanese plenty of encouragement, while again Ireland were not always aggressive enough at the breakdown.
Japan gave the Irish defence issues. Their naturalised lock Epineri Uluiviti and their naturalised Fijian number eight Faulua Makisi made the hard yards, their playmakers Seung-sin Lee and Charlie Lawrence put plenty of width on the ball, and out wide the footwork of wingers Tomoki Osada and Kippei Ishida gave Ireland plenty of problems out wide. Fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki, a clever footballer, also joined the line effectively.
On a beautiful, sunny, autumnal day, conditions were pretty much perfect, a still day on a pristine surface. Yet although the IRFU claimed this virtually a sell-out, if so then thousands decided not to use their tickets, for there were several pockets – both sizeable and small – of empty seats.
Ireland began with a good defensive set and a scrum penalty by Crowley for the opening score but soon there was evidence of the difficulties Japan were going to give them, especially through the elusive Osada on the left touchline.
Paul O’Connell would have been livid to see another complete malfunction as the first throw, although it looked more like a simple overthrow by Rónan Kelleher, with another steal to follow as well as a crooked throw by the hooker at another attacking lineout.
Along the way, a yellow card for a tip tackle by Lawrence on Tom Farrell also tipped the game Ireland’s way, as they maximised their numerical advantage. Jamie Osborne called for and reclaimed a chip from Craig Casey deep in Irish territory and then Ireland showed what they could do with a strike play from inside their own 10-metre line.
Robbie Henshaw stepped in as first receiver with Osborne moving the ball on for Crowley to hit Stockdale on the left wing, Beirne then deftly pulling the ball back for Tommy O’Brien to hit Baird on the right touchline as Ireland went coast to coast.
This stretched the Japanese defence for Thomas Clarkson to make inroads off Crowley’s no-look pass, the outhalf then working off the ball to loop around Doris and round the posts.
There were attacking malfunctions too – Osborne crossing in front of Farrell, Stockdale slightly overrunning Farrell’s tip-on – before Ireland scored a slightly lucky try off a clunky move. Crowley’s pass for Beirne went to ground and the Japanese defence froze as James Ryan picked up and Nick Timoney exploded on to the ball to take Ozaki on the outside for a fine finish, Crowley landing a good conversion.
But a procession of penalties led to the Japanese pack driving over the Irish line off a catch-and-drive, the maul staying low and difficult to stop, for hooker Kenji Sato to score. Lee conversion landed a fine conversion and closed out the half with a penalty to make it a one-score game after Stockdale had been binned for a high hit on Ishida.
The 17-10 scoreline was a fairer reflection of the first half and Ireland were in a spot of bother. But they regrouped at half-time and struck swiftly with 14 men.
Again they went coast to coast off a lineout, Crowley hitting O’Brien on the right wing with a lovely looped pass, and from the recycle Casey’s long skip pass enabled Andrew Porter to power off.
Ireland had barely extended their lead when, a little surprisingly, Crowley was replaced by Sam Prendergast in the 51st minute, with the latter’s brother Cian and Jack Conan also being introduced for James Ryan and Nick Timoney. In the ensuing reshuffle, Baird went into the secondrow and Doris to openside, which may be an option against the Springboks particularly in a fortnight’s time.
But there was no doubt that Sam Prendergast got the attack moving as well as finding the corners with his penalties in trademark style.
Despite breaks from deep by Yazaki and then Stockdale in turn to enliven the crowd, it needed a musical interlude, specifically Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, to get the crowd singing.
Soon after Sam Prendergast located the corner with a penalty and Gus McCarthy hit Baird at the front before a patient, well-controlled drive on the short side for the hooker to score.
With Stockdale and Tommy O’Brien coming more into the game, another penalty to the corner led to Gus McCarthy hitting Cian Prendergast with a lovely throw to the tail, Ireland hammering at the line before Gus McCarthy burrowed over for his first Test try.
Sam Prendergast converted from wide out, as he did again after picking up loose ball and sending O’Brien clear to score from almost halfway, a nice, fitting flourish to add some sheen to an initially tricky afternoon.
Scoring sequence: 6 mins Crowley pen; 20 mins Crowley try and con 10-0; 30 mins Timoney try, Crowley con 17-0; 37 mins Sato try, Lee con 17-7; 40 (+1) mins Lee pen 17-10; (half-time 17-10); 48 mins Porter try 22-10; 66 mins G McCarthy try 27-10; 72 mins P McCarthy try, S Prendergast con 34-10; 76 mins T O’Brien try, S Prendergast con 41-10.
Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Robbie Henshaw, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Cian Prendergast for Ryan, Jack Conan for Timoney, Sam Prendergast for Crowley (all 51 mins), Gus McCarthy for Kelleher, Finlay Bealham for Clarkson (both 58 mins), Caolin Blade for Casey (62 mins), Jimmy O’Brien for Osborne, Paddy McCarthy for Porter (66 mins).
Japan: Yoshitaka Yazaki; Kippei Ishida, Dylan Riley, Charlie Lawrence, Tomoki Osada; Seung-sin Lee, Naoto Saito; Kenta Kobayashi, Kenji Sato, Shuhi Takeuchi, Epineri Uluiviti, Warner Dearns (capt), Ben Gunter, Kanji Shimokawa, Faulua Makisi.
Replacements: Michael Leitch for Gunter (49 mins), Ryosuke Iwaihara for Kobayashi, Jack Cornelsen, Keijiro Tamefusa for Takeuchi, Cornelsen for Makisi, Shinobu Fujiwara for Natio, Shinya Komura for Lee (all 58 mins), Shodai Hirao for Sato, Yuya Hirose for Lawrence (68 mins).
Sinbinned: Lawrence 17-27 mins.
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
