The View from Japan: The Sunday Session

The games on offer this first Sunday of the tournament did not quite get the heart racing in the same way as Saturday’s fixtures. That said, every game is as important as the others. The smaller nations dream of these occasions and the two smallest nations on offer today, Namibia and Tonga, can be proud of their efforts.

First up were Italy against Namibia. Experience and fitness were the deciding factors here. The Namibians are not exposed to as much rugby as their Italian counterparts nor do they have the same resources. Namibia were exciting at times but couldn’t sustain a high tempo. A 21-7 half time lead for Italy was extended to a 47-22 win by the final whistle. 

The one game that may have got neutrals interested was Ireland against the Scots. Whether Ireland were too good or Scotland were just not up for it, Ireland dominated from almost the first blow of the whistle. The Irish forwards bullied the Scots all afternoon and if the torrential downpour didn’t make handling a little difficult, the score would have been more. An easy day at the office for Ireland, cruising to a 27-3 win. 

The tackling on display in the third game of the day was something to behold. The Tongans hit the English with maximum force at every opportunity. Credit to England though, they stood up to that challenge and matched their opponents blow for blow. Tonga were committed and even after 86 minutes and being 32 points down, they played with the same urgency as when it was 0-0. England’s vast experience and considerable pool of talent proved too much. England earning a bruising 35-3 win.