Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 20 August 2022
Result: Japan 22 ireland 57
On paper this result might look like a dead certainty, but the Irish were swept off their feet at the start, the Sakura scoring two tries inside five minutes. Edel McMahon was already off the field with a blood injury. Then Ayasa Otsuka kicked a penalty to complete another dangerous attck. 15-0
Greg McWilliams had selected a thoroughly strong pack, but an equally inexperienced back-line, including four debutants. Surely, once the pack could take charge, the balance of power would shift.
After holding off another raid, they got to work. On the quarter-hour Neve Jones was on the end of an unstoppable drive. 15-7.
Lauren Jenner called the first of several water-breaks to counter the 26 degree heat.
Aoife Doyle closed the gap with a try on the left. This was an absolute beauty, involving a dummy- run through the middle, the outside-break that it caused and two finely-timed passes to put the winger in near the corner. 15-12
The whole team could see their good work paying off.
There were no more scores till another break. The game grew a little scrappy after a dramatic start, but as the referee looked at her watch Dannah O’Brien started a lovely move completed by her outside-centre Aoife Dalton on debut. Now at last the Irish were ahead, A great comeback.
Half-time 15-19
From there the Girls in Green went to town. They finished with an astonishing nine tries that involved both well-controlled pack-drives and delightful running-lines out behind. McWilliams must have been purring.
Up front, Jones completed a deserved hat-trick on the back of more pack-domination. Méabh Deely came through from the back to complete an excellent move.
Sam Monaghan charged a kick down to give Chloe Pearse her try. There was a worry near the end as Monaghan left the field with a leg injury. With no-one still on the bench, the visitors were left with 14, but the game was quite safe and Emma Hooban even added a final try.
Ireland’s joy was completed when O’Brien still managed to drop-kick the conversion after the ball fell off the tee.
Afterthoughts
The Irish experience was almost more important than the result, travelling across the world to broaden the mind and enjoy a new culture.
The visitors finished up in a magnificent stadium to play a side that had won its last five matches, away and at home: their victims Australia, Fiji and South Africa.
McWilliams was fully justified in introducing so many youngsters, including teenagers, out behind. They proved their worth, He knew he could rely on his pack to establish and exploit possession.
It was a return visit for Ireland after a 15-12 win at the RDS Dublin in November.
The second fixture follows next Saturday.
Teams:
Japan:
Ria Anoku (Mie Pearls); Riho Kurogi (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Rinka Matsuda (Nippon Sport Science University), Shione Nakayama (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Komachi Imakugi (Arukas Queen Kumagaya/Rissho University); Ayasa Otsuka (RKU Grace), Moe Tsukui (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi- Stars); Saki Minami (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars) (capt), Nijiho Nagata (International Budo University), Yuka Sadaka (Hirosaki Sakura Ovals), Kie Tamai (Mie Pearls), Maki Takano (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Misaki Suzuki (Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix), Kyoko Hosokawa (Mie Pearls), Ayano Nagai (Yokohama TKM)
Bench:
Hinata Komaki (Nippon Sport Science University), Kotomi Taniguchi (Mie Pearls), Makoto Lavemai (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Masami Kawamura (RKU Grace), Seina Saito (Mie Pearls), Megumi Abe (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Minori Yamamoto (Mie Pearls), Sakurako Korai (Nippon Sport Science University)
Ireland:
Méabh Deely* (Blackrock College); Natasja Behan* (Blackrock College), Aoife Dalton* (Tullamore), Enya Breen (TBC), Aoife Doyle (Railway Union); Dannah O’Brien* (Tullow), Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union); Linda Djougang (TBC), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Katie O’Dwyer (Railway Union), Nichola Fryday (Exeter Chiefs) (capt), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs), Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College)
Bench:
Emma Hooban (Blackrock College), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian), Christy Haney (Blackrock College), Taryn Schutzler* (Saracens, Grace Moore (Saracens), Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian), Leah Tarpey* (Tullamore), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union)
* uncapped
Result: Japan ireland Officials
Referee: Lauren Jenner (New Zealand)
ARs: Tasuku Kawahara, Eri Kamimura (both Japan)
