Rugby World Cup: Japan now holds mantle of ‘rugby’s greatest upset’ after Springbok win
MOVE over Samoa, who knocked off Wales in 1991. Stand aside France, who conjured a miracle against the All Blacks in 1999. Japan now holds the greatest upset mantle.
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GREATEST upset in rugby history by a mile. One of the biggest shocks in sport since James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson a quarter century ago in Tokyo.
Japan has a knack for shock and horror.
Move over Samoa, who knocked off Wales in 1991. Stand aside France, who conjured a miracle against a rampaging Jonah Lomu and the All Blacks in 1999.
Little Japan’s rugby warriors picked up a stone and put in the slingshot — boom!
Right between the eyes of these South African Goliaths.
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The try in the corner, the final act of the game four minutes after full-time, from Karne Hesketh, a Kiwi who had to take his rugby dreams to the small Japanese town of Munakata five years ago after leaving Otago, will echo for generations.
Japan coach Eddie Jones, who helped coach South Africa to World Cup victory in 2007, has now conspired to bring about their greatest humiliation: the Springboks beaten by a tier-two nation for the very first time.
“We worked hard for it, I’ve coached for 20 years and I’ve never worked as hard as I have with Japan,” Jones said.
“I have to be honest with you, I can’t work this hard anymore. I’m getting too old. At 55 I should be in Barbados watching cricket.”
After this, Shinzo Abe may well give Jones his own Caribbean island.
Hollywood will be working on the script for Invictus Part 2 — Jim Carrey to play Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer.
In his scheming, scrapping way, Jones turned these Cherry Blossoms into Venus Boktraps, snapping shut any notion that Japan is still a bit-player in the rugby world.
The political party that tried to stop South Africa playing at the World Cup would have done their country a huge favour by succeeding in their attempts.
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Oh, and you can hold that rumoured four-year contract extension for Meyer. He’ll be lucky to get four more games.
In the past 12 months, the Boks have lost to New Zealand (twice), Australia (twice), Argentina, Wales, Ireland and now Japan — eight defeats in 13 Tests.
Forget a confidence-boosting close loss in their opening pool game, 13th-ranked Japan wouldn’t even accept a draw against the world No. 3 side, who at kick-off had won two World Cup tournaments to Japan’s solitary World Cup game against Zimbabwe in 1991.
Japan spurned two shots at penalty goal to level scores in favour of attacking the Boks’ line for the match-winning try and immortality.
At 75 minutes 51 seconds on the clock, with South Africa leading 32-29, Japan fullback Ayumu Goromaru took a clearing kick from the Boks on his own quarter line.
Japan did not relinquish that ball until they’d scored the winning try nearly nine minutes later. Nine minutes.
That is a mind-boggling length of attacking play in rugby, but even more so by a minnow against seasoned heavyweights with the result on the line.
Japan went 80 metres in 19 successive phases before Goromaru was held up over the line, Boks prop Coenie Oosthuizen was sin-binned, and captain Japan Michael Leitch declined his first opportunity to draw, opting for a lineout.
They won their throw, and then used a rolling maul involving 11 players to push to the line only to be held up.
Another penalty, much closer to the posts, but Leitch opted for the scrum with the Boks a man down.
Leitch took three big runs; one way, then the middle, then the other, amid the madness of scrambling Boks defence and deafening roars within Brighton Community Stadium and beyond.
Then in one sweeping move the ball went two cut-out passes wide where Hesketh was given open space and he burst over in the diving tackle of JP Pietersen to touch down.
History.
From J.K Rowling to Jarryd Hayne, plaudits flowed on social media.
Jones said: “We had an opening ceremony in Brighton last week and they showed a video of the Japan (rugby) history. We hadn’t won a game for 24 years.
“I said to the guys after: ‘Next time they do that in four years, you want them to show a history where Japan has won big games’.”
At the next opening ceremony in four years, they’ll be carrying Jones in on their shoulders.
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Japan now holds mantle of ‘rugby’s greatest upset’ after Springbok win
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