Rugby World Cup 2015: Eddie Jones knew history beckoned for Japan against Springboks at half-time

EDDIE Jones knew Japan were set for a world-shaking upset over the Springboks over 50 minutes before the Brave Blossoms scored their post-siren try.

Japan's players celebrate after their victory against South Africa in a Rugby World Cup Pool B match at the Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton, England, Saturday Sept. 19, 2015. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

EDDIE Jones has revealed he knew Japan were on the cusp of a world-shaking upset over the Springboks over 50 minutes before the Brave Blossoms scored their post-siren try.

Brighton was turning Japanese on Sunday as the coastal English town — and indeed the world — was still coming to grips with Japan’s stunning win over the two-time world champion South Africans; a result labelled by some as the greatest ever upset in rugby.

Even Jones was still a bit shell-shocked by it all but the sense of his team’s achievement hit home when he walked down the street.

“Seriously it is like a bit of a dream for Japan to beat South Africa. It has been quite amazing walking around Brighton today, people dressed in Japanese flags. The interest it has created has been unbelievable and it was obviously fantastic for Japanese rugby,” Jones told the Daily Telegraph.

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Jones said he’d always been optimistic about Japan’s chances to push South Africa deep into the game, but he wasn’t certain if they’d have the firepower to finish the job.

“I honestly believed we could get into a position to win the game,” Jones said.

Japan's players celebrate after their historic World Cup victory against South Africa.

“Tier 2 countries against tier 1, a common situation is at 60 minutes it is still very close and then the tier 1 country runs away with it.

“I knew we could get in that position but what I didn’t know was whether we could go on with it, like we did yesterday.”

Jones’ confidence about winning grew massively, however, when the two teams went in at halftime, with South Africa only leading 14-12.

He knew the pressure would only increase on the Springboks.

“I just said we were in the perfect situation. 14-12, that’s a winning situation for us,” Jones said.

“The longer the game went, the closer it was, the more pressure went on South Africa. They were expected to win the game by 40 points and when you’re not ahead by 40 points you start to question things. That’s what happened to South Africa.

“I just said to them we are a winning position here boys, the longer we stick to them the more chance we have of winning this game.”

With a clash against Scotland on Wednesday to prepare for, celebrations were reasonably muted for Jones and the Japanese players.

But the former Wallabies coach said it would always be a day he’d remember, and ranked the win alongside Australia’s victory over the All Blacks in the semi-final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

“As a coach there are very few times you enjoy a game of rugby and there are two I can remember I really enjoyed. Once was yesterday and the other was the semi-final we had against New Zealand (in 2003),” he said.

“When you are not expected to win the game, everyone is writing you off and you come up with something a little bit different and you end up winning. They are special moments.”

Japan’s first ever World Cup knockout stages appearance is now a possibility and while admitting it is a goal, Jones said Japan were keeping a small focus.

“The plan is that we have to beat Scotland, and if we beat Scotland then the finals take care of themselves,” Jones said.

Asked if he was aware of the magnitude of the world’s response to Japan’s upset win, Jones said: “To a degree, you try not to get too carried away.”

“But if you look at World Cup results, it is the first time a genuine top three country has been beaten by someone outside the top ten,” he continued.

“You see it in soccer don’t you? The last World Cup it was Colombia, who is not in the picture but they came right through to the quarter-finals. We’ve rarely seen that in rugby.”

Originally published as Rugby World Cup 2015: Eddie Jones knew history beckoned for Japan against Springboks at half-time