Back rowers Josh van der Flier and Sean Reidy scored their first international tries as Ireland overcame a stiffer challenge from Japan to wrap up the two-match series with a 35-13 win in muggy Tokyo.
28 points was the margin in Shizuoka last week and it was 22 this afternoon at Ajinomoto Stadium, the venue for the opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The second Test also marked Devin Toner’s 50th cap for Ireland and a first for replacement scrum half John Cooney, who came on in the closing stages.
A second-minute intercept try from Garry Ringrose – his fourth score of his debut Test season – put Joe Schmidt’s men on course for a 28-8 half-time lead. Josh van der Flier, Kieran Marmion and tour captain Rhys Ruddock also touched down, while busy centre Kotaro Matsushima chipped in with Japan’s first try.
It was a hard slog in the third quarter, the hosts’ swarming defence cutting down the space and opportunities for Ireland. A ricocheting kick bounced fortuitously for winger Akihito Yamada to notch a try on the hour mark.
However, with 20-year-old lock James Ryan impressing off the bench, Ireland hit back with a fifth and final try when some neat interplay between fellow replacements Niall Scannell and Sean Reidy saw the latter raid in just to the right of the posts.
Paddy Jackson made it 11 successful kicks out of 11 in the last two games, finishing with a 10-point haul in the Japanese capital, as Ruddock, who led the new-look squad extremely well from New Jersey to Tokyo, accepted the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup on behalf of the victors.
Making his second start of the tour, industrious young winger Jacob Stockdale received the kick-off and also a number of restarts as Ireland coped well with Japan’s early attempts to get on top. Indeed, Ringrose swooped on a loose pass in midfield to dart clear for halfway for the opening try, converted by Jackson.
The Brave Blossoms made sure it was very competitive fare, contesting every ball in a high-tempo first quarter. However, Ireland were the more assured team in possession, twice building from James Tracy’s reliable lineout throws before good footwork and awareness from openside van der Flier was rewarded with a ninth-minute converted try.
Skipper Ruddock and Jack Conan both carried powerfully in the build-up, with quick passes from Jackson and the heavily-involved Luke Marshall inviting van der Flier forward on the right wing. Nonetheless, having conceded successive penalties, Ireland handed back three points in the form of a well-struck penalty from Japan out-half Jumpei Ogura.
Ireland’s ability to quickly build a score was evident soon after, with a great rip by Toner starting a lively attack that saw Marshall slice through and then carry again closer in. Meaty carries from Conan and Cian Healy had the visitors just a metre or two out, before scrum half Marmion plunged over for his second try of the tour.
Jackson’s accurate right boot pushed Ireland onto 21 points before the water break in the 28-degree heat. Toner and Kieran Treadwell, who looked the part on his first start, ensured a steady stream of lineout ball, and while the prolific Keith Earls was not as threatening as last Saturday, his charge-down of a kick might have led to a second try for van der Flier.
Jamie Joseph’s side clawed back a large chunk of territory thanks to a well-executed kick chase, and the momentum for their first try was provided by a muscular carry from big lock Uwe Helu. The home backs did the rest, crisp passing giving Matsushima the chance to slip past Marmion and score wide on the right. Ogura narrowly missed the conversion.
However, the Japanese were prone to errors and following an overcooked kick by Ogura, Marshall was a prominent carrier as Ireland pressed from a couple of penalties. Conan then attacked off a close-in scrum, rumbling up close before Toner’s pass sent Ruddock, who was well supported by Treadwell, barging in under the posts. Credit to referee JP Doyle for spotting the grounding, and Jackson tagged on the simple conversion.
Ireland’s direct style was paying dividends with four tries on the board and over 70% possession. They had other opportunities before the interval, most notably when Jackson sniped through a gap and combined slickly with Earls on the right wing, but a momentum-killing penalty against van der Flier and Helu’s turnover at a maul allowed Japan to work their way back downfield.
A scrappy third quarter saw both teams build through the phases but lack the necessary execution and penetration. Japan missed out on an ideal start to the half when flanker Shuhei Matsuhashi had a try ruled out for a slight knock-on by scrum half Yutaka Nagare.
The hosts mixed the good with the bad, their regular captain Shota Horie guilty of an overthrown lineout before today’s skipper Michael Leitch stole set piece ball in front of fellow 50-cap man Toner. Although their indiscipline at the breakdown was regularly punished by referee Doyle, some Trojan work in defence prevented the concession of a fifth Irish try, with winger Kenki Fukuoka dashing back to deny Ringrose from the centre’s kick through.
Textbook tackles from Stockdale and Earls thwarted Japanese attacks on either wing, the visitors’ determined efforts to contain Japan’s pace under a brutal summer sun seeing Schmidt unload his bench with the final quarter in sight. Most notably, James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Reidy – a temporary replacement initially – all came on for their second caps.
Japan still struggled to keep their discipline at ruck time, while Irish inaccuracies in attack also let the Blossoms off the hook. Reidy was whistled up for a deliberate knock-on before his Ulster colleague Marshall was penalised for the same offence following the input of TMO Glenn Newman.
Ireland had an entirely new front row on by the time Japanese winger Yamada reached over in the right corner for an unconverted 61st-minute effort. With the lead cut to 28-13, it was the ever-influential Toner who led Ireland’s response with some great work from the restart to give his team-mates a target. The quick-fire attack yielded a try-scoring chance but Fukuoka did just enough to put off Andrew Conway from a Jackson cross-field kick.
There was another near miss just a few minutes later, replacement Tiernan O’Halloran’s quick lineout seeing Marmion motor down the left wing and Stockdale using his strength to draw Ireland up to within five metres of the whitewash. Unfortunately, Marmion lost control of the ball under pressure from Ryuji Noguchi as he tried to dive over from close range.
Japan’s resilient defence continued to frustrate the men in green, with 2015 World Cup hero Luke Thompson really putting himself about on his return to international rugby. The home side exerted some pressure off Irish penalties, but Toner stole a lineout and then successfully slowed up a maul. Ryohei Yamanaka then knocked on in heavy midfield traffic.
On the back of Niall Scannell snaffling a loose ball, fellow replacement Ryan made a good ten metres and Ruddock also carried purposefully in the lead up to a penalty on halfway. Ireland used the hard-earned possession intelligently, Reidy’s short pass putting Scannell through a rare hole in the Japanese defence before the Corkman returned the favour to send the 28-year-old back rower over for Jackson to convert.
The Ulster-bound Cooney was central to a last-minute surge, scrambling up to the 22 with young guns Ryan and Porter also prominent as carriers, yet Japan stood firm just a few metres from their line and try number 22 of the tour eluded Ireland.
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