Rugby

Ireland end gruelling summer tour on a high note

Joe Schmidt’s side were always in control against Japan but struggled with the heat

Garry Ringrose goes over for the opening try of the game in Ireland’s win over Japan in Tokyo. Photo: Franck Robichon/EPA

Gavin Cummiskey's face
Gavin Cummiskey at Ajinomoto stadium, Tokyo
Sat Jun 24 2017 - 09:02

Japan 13 Ireland 35

Another clean victory.

Japan, clearly stung by last week’s 50-22 whipping in Shizuoka, had a venomous bite to them from kick-off. Early breakdowns were viciously contested. Every tackle assisted. From a turnover, created by Brave Blossoms forcibly taking the space over Irish ball, they showed All Black intent when flashing possession wide.

Garry Ringrose was waiting. When Amanaki Mafi flung the ball on the floor, Ringrose gratefully raced under the posts from 40 metres. That was the opening two minutes.

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For all their intent and willingness, Japan’s lack of quality, of genuine physicality and most of all the precise technique shown to them by Joe Schmidt’s Ireland when protecting possession, had the hosts reeling in no time.

The 24 point handicap was under serious pressure by half-time (the bookies survived this one). Ireland led 28-8 as Josh van der Flier, Kieran Marmion and the relentless Rhys Ruddock followed Ringrose over the whitewash.

All three tries came from a dominant set piece and concise, unyielding phase play. The Schmidt way in Technicolor.

Paddy Jackson, the flawless Ulster outhalf in green since missing a conversion against Scotland last February, added all the extras.

Japan’s only response was big centre Kotaro Matsushima rounding Marmion on 14 minutes after equally sizeable lock Uwe Helu carried Jackson deep into the Ireland 22.

For the record, Matsushima was born in South Arica, Helu in Tonga.

That, currently, is where Japan are sourcing their power plays.

Supposedly, that is changing. Seemingly, come the World Cup in 2019 the Sunwolves continued exposure to Super Rugby will funnel through enough homegrown talent, with the requisite physicality, to beat either Ireland or Scotland and so avoid elimination at the knockout stages of their own tournament.

This past fortnight in Japan has provided plenty of evidence to the contrary.

“Got a fair bit of work to do but they will turn up,” said Luke Thompson, the 36-year-old lock who was tempted out of retirement to win his 62nd cap.

The flip side of exposure to the Southern Hemisphere franchises, as Robbie Deans noted this week, is each and every player and their style will be forensically analysed.

“After beating South Africa,” said Deans, “Japan will never have the element of surprise again.

“Adaptation is the key.”

Tony Brown, the highly regarded Kiwi attack coach, is the right man for this enormous task.

There are signs of hope; Japanese supporters, 29,354 showed up here, seem incapable of turning on the team, the players first instinct is to attack and wingers like Akihito Yamada offer genuine pace.

Of course, Schmidt has already poured over the minutes he exposed eight new caps to during this hugely valuable globetrotting three weeks.

Take James Ryan. In time much will be made of his first touch as an Ireland lock, when streaking onto Keith Earls’s pass for a try on debut in New Jersey. For now, it’s more likely he will have to answer for attempting a low percentage offload in the Japanese 22 as soon as his second cap began. The end result was almost seven points down the other as Matsushima sliced and powered up field.

The cover, another newbie Jacob Stockdale, slowed and eventually stopped him.

All the points dried up in the third quarter as Ireland flagged considerably. A September World Cup in Japan is supposed to not only be a blooming spectacle but also less humid.

A late try by Sean Reidy followed by Jackson’s fifth successful kick ended the tour on a decent note.

Next time we peak into this stadium will be for the World Cup opener in 2019.

Until then, sayonara.

Scoring sequence – 2 mins: G Ringrose try, 5-0; P Jackson con, 7-0; 10 mins: J van der Flier try, 12-0; P Jackson con, 14-0; 14 mins: J Ogura pen, 14-3; 16 mins: K Marmion try, 19-3; P Jackson con, 21-3; 23 mins: K Matsushima try, 21-8; 30 mins: R Ruddock try, 26-8; P Jackson con, 28-8. Half-time. 62 mins: A Yamada try, 28-13; 78 mins: S Reidy try, 33-13; P Jackson con, 35-13.

JAPAN: R Noguchi; A Yamada, K Matsushima, Y Tamura, K Fukuoka; J Ogura, Y Nagare; S Ishihara, Y Niwai, T Asahara; L Thompson, U Helu; M Leitch (capt), S Matsuhashi, A Mafi.

Replacements: S Horie for Y Niwai, T Watanabe for T Asahara, R Matsuda for J Ogura (all half-time), K Inagaki for S Ishihara (48 mins), F Tanaka for Y Nagare (53 mins), K Yatabe for U Helu (63 mins), Y Tokunaga for S Matsuhashi, R Yamanaka for R Noguchi (both 67 mins).

IRELAND: A Conway; K Earls, G Ringrose, L Marshall, J Stockdale; P Jackson, K Marmion; C Healy, J Tracy, John Ryan; K Treadwell, D Toner; R Ruddock (capt), J van der Flier, J Conan.

Replacements: N Scannell for J tracy, James Ryan for K Treadwell (both 51 mins), T O’Halloran for K Earls (54 mins), S Reidy for R Ruddock (HIA, 54-60 mins) and for J van der Flier (67 mins), D Kilcoyne for C Healy, A Porter for John Ryan (both 60 mins), J Cooney for K Marmion (72 mins), R Scannell for G Ringrose (78 mins).

Referee: JP Doyle (England).