They were no one-hit wonders either, enjoying a breakthrough Rugby World Cup tournament as they went on to beat the USA and Samoa while playing an exhilarating, breathless style of high-tempo rugby which won them many more fans.
In their two home Tests against Scotland this summer, when the visitors played full-strength sides, Japan lost by margins of 13 and five points and led Vern Cotter’s team by four points at half-time in the second Test. The Brave Blossoms have won their other five Tests this year so what can Wales expect when they arrive at Principality Stadium next month?
1. Experience and new talent
New Japan coach Jamie Joseph has a great blend of players in his squad for the autumn Tests. Hitoshi Ono, the 38-year-old cult hero and second row, is Japan’s record cap holder with 98 Test appearances and brings a huge amount of experience. Scrum-half Fumiaki Tanaka plays Super Rugby with the Highanders and has more than 50 caps, while fly-half Yu Tamura scored 19 points against Scotland in the summer and has played almost 40 Tests in Japan’s backline.
Alongside these wise old heads, though, are ball-carrying back-row Amanaki Mafi and blisteringly quick wings Kenki Fukuoka and Kotaro Matsushima, who all have fewer than 20 Test appearances. Naohiro Kotaki, with seven caps, adds bulk and a superb defensive ethic to the second row. Japan are not scared to put their faith in younger players, and with the added exposure to Super Rugby that the new Sunwolves franchise has given Japan, there’s no doubt that the Brave Blossoms’ production line of talent will only get stronger.
2. Japan’s front row
As Scotland found in the summer, Japan’s scrum is a powerful and accomplished unit. Tighthead prop Kensuke Hatakeyama is vastly experienced, with 75 caps, while dynamic looseheads Keita Inagaki and Masataka Mikami are solid in the set-piece but quick around the field and a major part of Japan’s excellent, low-tackling defensive unit. Hooker Shota Horie was one of Japan’s outstanding players in the Rugby World Cup and is a ball-carrier in the mould of Pumas hooker Agustin Creevy, scoring against Scotland in the first Test in June. The Japan front row are extremely secure in the scrum, but their overall contribution around the field is also crucial. Stop them, and you significantly impede the Brave Blossoms.
3. Speed is everything
Pace is important to every rugby side, but Japan really are a team that rely on playing with intensity and tempo. While the stereotype of the small but aggressive Japanese player is fast becoming outdated, especially with the naturalisation of some Pacific Islands-born players, Japan’s game plan is still predicated on keeping possession while playing a high-tempo, phase-orientated style of play.
Against Scotland, Japan ran a number of tap penalties, including the wonderful attack that resulted in Horie’s try. They also commit heavily to the ruck, using low body positioning and numbers to secure possession and launch wave after wave of attack. Three or four phases of running forwards in the first receiver position create space and, as defenders are sucked into the breakdown, Japan then move the ball wide. It’s simple but, when combined with breakdown and handling skills, Japan’s gameplan can be very hard to stop.
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